Ryders MC
by TiffanyNida69
Summary: (AU) – Catherine Chandler lost her brother, Zach, to The Ryders MC biker club as a young child. All grown up, she is New York's favorite undercover officer and the FBI's PI. Once she takes her vacation, her work doesn't stop there. She returns to Falling Spring, West Virginia where it all began, to exact revenge on the biker gang. What she doesn't bargain for is... MORE INSIDE!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:**** Although I own the rights to this story, I do not own BATB or it's characters.**

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**Summary:**** (AU) – Catherine**** Chandler lost her brother, Zach, to The Ryders MC biker club as a young child. All grown up, she is New York's favorite undercover officer and PI. Once she takes her vacation, her work doesn't stop there. She returns to Falling Spring, West Virginia where it all began, to exact revenge on the biker gang. What she doesn't bargain for is Vincent, also known as Beast—the newly-elected vice-president of the gang and Zach's best friend. When Catherine and Vincent come face-to-face, the sparks are immediate, and Catherine finds herself torn between exacting vengeance for her shattered past, and an uncertain future in the arms of a biker bad boy.**

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**Warning:****This story contains explicit language, graphic sexual adult content, gang violence, and drug usage. If you DO NOT wish to read any of the named above, then I advise that you not read this story at all.**

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**A/N:**** Hey ****beasties! I'm back with a new story based off a short MC story I read on the internet. I thought that this would be something new for you all to (hopefully) enjoy lol. I do ask that if you do not like the story, to please keep cruel harsh comments to yourselves, because I will delete your review and move on. If you are upset about certain parts, PM me and tell me. This is just my mind playing around with the characters from the show that I love. This story is strictly in Catherine's POV! And no, it is not similar to Sons of Anarchy. This is surprisingly a love story ;)**

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_**-Prologue-**_

When people you love suffer, you become willing to do just about anything to save them. Well, that is exactly how my brother, Zach, was...

Ya' know, he and I were pretty close growing up, despite the five year difference between us. Some would even go as far as to say that we were inseparable. He was my rock, my shoulder to cry on, always had my back, and he was the one who took care of me.

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My life started falling apart when I became seven. By that time, our mother had become ill with cancer. It was a difficult time on our dad as he still had to work, and help raise us kids while taking care of mom. She went through treatments and took medication, but nothing seemed to help.

In order to keep up with the costs of living, plus my mother's doctor's bills, dad picked up a secondary job, which in return meant that he was away from us more than we truly wanted. That's where Zach came in. At the age of twelve, he helped my mother raise me. He actually had more grown-up responsibilities than most twelve-year-olds ever had to accomplish in their entire lives. But no, not Zach. He was never given an option.

I am still in awe of him for everything he accomplished at such a young age. I knew that I could never amount up to him, nor did I ever try.

As years passed, my mother became worse, and eventually was bedridden. That's when all of the pressure was laid down onto Zach. Which at first, he didn't seem to mind no more than I did. It was nice hanging out with my brother, and it helped distract me from the real issues floating around me.

At fifteen, Zach had took a whole knew attitude on life. He had met a boy around the same age as him that they called Beast. I honestly have no idea why exactly they called him Beast, but hey, it's whatever I guess. They instantly became friends, and Zach spent most of his time after school to hang out with his new friends. In a way, it broke my heart. I missed having my brother around.

Ah, Beast. Such a strange human being. I learned that he came from a background of the proverbial "wrong side of the tracks" kind of people. His father was the president of Falling Springs' most feared MC biker gangs, the Ryders.

The Ryders were known as outlaws, or in a better term, "one-percenters". They were the type of bikers that didn't follow _any_ laws. In fact, they made up their own, their own codes even, all rebellious to the point that even the Falling Springs Police Department lost control over the crimes the gang had committed. Honestly, the police feared them just as much as the town people do. And if you were smart, you would avoid them at all costs.

Anyways, Beast—well, Vincent Keller is his real name—was arrogant, rude and mean. I couldn't really understand what Zach saw in him as a friend. That boy reeked of trouble the moment I met him. I didn't see him around much, but when I did, he gave me the creeps.

Days turned to weeks. Weeks turned to months. Vincent and my brother became inseparable. It became obvious that Beast was kind of like a release valve for my brother as my mother's health worsened. Eventually, Zach began neglecting his duties at home to go hang out with Vincent and the few other guys that followed around with them. And finally, Zach stopped returning home altogether.

But when he did come home about a week later, him and dad got into a heated argument and Zach left to go live with Vincent and his family. My heart completely shattered when he did, and it totally crushed my mother and father.

June 14th, 1999. The day my brother turned twenty-one years old, and the day that forever haunts me in my sleep...

I can remember it like it was yesterday. The sun was warm and bright, the breeze was calm and comforting. Not a cloud could be spotted in the sky. I was around sixteen years old. I was sitting on the front porch, eating an apple while I read a Nancy Drew novel. I was trying to burn time because I knew Zach would be there soon to visit since it was his birthday. He had made a habit to come visit often, especially since mother had seemed to be doing much better.

The sudden roar of a motorcycle pulling up in front of the house flooded my ears, causing my head to shoot up as I smiled. What I had thought was my brother, turned out to be none other than Vincent "Beast" Keller standing before me.

I gasped, surprised that Vincent was even there. All I remember is my father had burst out the door, and Vincent looked up with crossed arms, leaning on his bike in a cool stance, then I heard him sigh heavily.

Then it hit me. Vincent and Zach never rode their motorcycles without the other. They were inseparable, like brothers almost. That's when I knew that something was terribly wrong.

"Catherine, why don't you go inside and check on your mother." Dad said calmly. But the reality of it all was that I didn't want to go anywhere. I wanted to hear what Vincent was going to say. But if he wanted me to hear it, then he would have said it already. So I nodded my head and turned to head inside.

After what seemed like hours later, my father returned inside and the muffled sound of a motorcycle revved up and took off. My dad looked distraught. Upset. And slightly broken. I closed my eyes and covered my mouth as shuddering sobs began to take over me.

"H-He said that he died with dignity for his... brethren in the club." my dad managed to get out. "How will I tell your mother?" he added, falling to his knees, bursting into tears. "It will kill her." he whispers.

My mother took it really rough hearing about Zach's death and slipped into a deep depression. Her cancer spread and she stopped taking her medication as well as she refused further treatments. She wouldn't get out of bed, or the house. She wouldn't eat, or drink anything. And a few weeks after losing my brother, we had to bury my mother too.

Dad couldn't take it anymore. He was slowly losing his mind. He wanted to get out of Falling Springs, and far away from West Virginia. So he put the house up on the market and about year after, we moved up North to New York City.

He began drinking the moment we moved to New York, and he drunk very heavily. Most evenings, I would return home with him past out on the couch with an empty bourbon bottle in his hand. I guess it was a way for him to cope the deaths of my mother and brother. Deep down, I knew that he didn't want to be in this life anymore, but I was the reason he stayed. We only had each other. It was us against the world.

I finished high school, college, and grad school there. I didn't make any friends because I didn't want people to question me about my upbringing. It made life more tolerable that way, and I never had to answer to anybody.

I lost my father the year I graduated law school. He was out driving while drunk and hit a rather large tree head-on. He was thrown out of the windshield. The police said that he had died a quick death, unpainfully because his neck snapped in two. Surprisingly, I couldn't seem to manage a single tear. Heartless? Perhaps you are right. Honestly, I was devastated, but it was like I had ran out of tears to shed, like I had somehow dried completely out.

And all that was left was me. I was alone, and it was all because of that damn stupid biker gang! They did this to me, to Zach, to my mother, and my dad. If they hadn't have took Zach away from us, my mother would have continued fighting her cancer. Without my mother, my father began drinking heavily which later killed him in a fatal car accident.

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Twelve years after my brothers death, I am New York's youngest PI and undercover officer at twenty-eight years old. And now that I have everything I need to take down West Virginia's most rebellious biker gang, I plan on giving the Ryders MC _exactly_ what they deserve.

_Blood, for blood._

Yes, I will stop at nothing until _all _of the members of the biker gang are dead. Only then will I be able to let everything go. And I plan on doing exactly that while on vacation at work. In fact, I'm heading back to Falling Springs first thing in the morning.

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_****Sorry that, that was sort of boring and short. This needed to be posted though so you can get an ideal of how desperate Catherine is to take down the gang, plus, it's a little back-story on her life. This story is majorly OOC (Out Of Character), but as we get through the story you will see some changes in her attitude about everything when she recieves important info about Zach's death and what really happened to him. Please bare with me, for I have lots going on right now, so it may take me a while to update. I would have wrote more, but I was slightly getting stuck, so I left it where it is so that I could get something out there to start this story. Vincent and Catherine meet again in Chapter 1. Thank you so much for reading. Reviews are welcome. Excuse any errors. XOXO!**_


	2. Ch 1 - We Meet Again

**Disclaimer:**** Although I own the rights to this story, I do not own BATB or it's characters.**

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**Summary:**** (AU) – Catherine**** Chandler lost her brother, Zach, to The Ryders MC biker club as a young child. All grown up, she is New York's favorite undercover officer and PI. Once she takes her vacation, her work doesn't stop there. She returns to Falling Spring, West Virginia where it all began, to exact revenge on the biker gang. What she doesn't bargain for is Vincent, also known as Beast—the newly-elected vice-president of the gang and Zach's best friend. When Catherine and Vincent come face-to-face, the sparks are immediate, and Catherine finds herself torn between exacting vengeance for her shattered past, and an uncertain future in the arms of a biker bad boy.**

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**Warning:****This story contains explicit language, graphic sexual adult content, gang violence, and drug usage. If you DO NOT wish to read any of the named above, then I advise that you not read this story at all.**

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**A/N: Whoo! Awesome sauce beasties! So we are officially on the same page now lol. Thank you all for your reviews. I love reading them :) This story is planned to be around 15 or more chapters, just depends on how I feel lol. It may take me a while to get chapters out, but I promise you, I WILL COMPLETE THIS STORY (even if it kills me) lol! **

**So Catherine is now on a war path, and I will say that things will eventually get ugly. This isn't your typical VinCat that are romantic and loving and sweet... _yet_. These characters are _very _different from the show, so, I hope I don't scare any of you away lol. Please be patient with me, for I have a lot going on in my life and I can't always get away from RL (real life) to visit fanfic-land lol. **

**I know this story may seem a little boring at first, but I promise it won't be all that bad lol. It will only get better. A lot of the stuff written is there to educate you for future chapters. **

**Not everything I write about Falling Spring are true. I didn't do much research because I haven't the time really lol. I love you guys, you all know that! So show me some love and review after reading! XOXO!**

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_**-Chapter 1—We Meet Again-**_

I stared into the mirror at my reflection for what seemed like an eternity—merely minutes in reality, trying to decide whether or not I need to add a little more mascara or not. Jonas, my boyfriend, is busy packing my bags into my car so that I can be on my way.

_Ah, Jonas..._

We've been together for around two years now. Not only is he my boyfriend, but he's also NYPD's Police Commissioner. Don't ask how that works out for me, because honestly, it's complicated. We kind of live in two different worlds. In one, we are a loving couple; the other, we act professional to save our reputation involving our jobs.

_Okay, fine... Here's the truth_. He's still kind of married. _Yes, I know. That sounds truly horrible, but hear me out, because it's not all that bad._ He's actually in the middle of a gruesome divorce and his bitch of a soon-to-be ex-wife is refusing to sign any papers to make the process faster.

I mean, sure, it kills me that we can't do normal couple stuff, like movies, dinner, or ice-skating. But I've learned to get used to it and I have found the lifestyle pretty comfortable. Besides, Jonas and I have found_ plenty _of things we can do here in our lovely one-bedroom apartment—_if 'ya know what I mean._

Jonas is a really good man. He treats me like a queen. But the truth is, we haven't took the next step in our relationship yet. I know that _he _is ready for it—_because he's mentioned our future plenty of times_—but I'm just not ready for that type of commitment yet. Marriage to me is just not something I'm interested in, and his nasty divorce explains why.

My life consists of undercover jobs, where I bust people for drugs or terrorist acts. It can get pretty dangerous, but honestly, I'm all about danger. Not really sure why, but I am drawn to dangerous missions.

_Speaking of missions... _I'm catching a flight to go back to the place I used to call my home.

Falling Spring, West Virginia. Population: 211. 97 Men, and 114 women. It's a little small town located in the Southeastern region of West Virginia. It's so small that nobody even knows that it exists. It's not located on any map, either. The only fun around the place is the theater or the county fair every year. There is—_surprisingly_—a Wal-Mart, an Ingle's grocery store, a little diner on the corner of town, and, of course, a strippers joint with a bar.

As a child, my brother would take me down to the ice cream shop to get a triple scoop hot fudge sundae. In order to get there, we had to pass by Katz—the stripper bar. My mother always complained about it being there, directly next to an ice cream shop of all places. But the town's people never complained because Michael Keller and his gang of outlaws, known as The Ryders MC, owned the joint.

In fact, they owned pretty much all of the town. No one ever spoke up to them at all. We were their prisoners.

_Well not anymore!_

I have formed a pretty good plan over the years on how I would finally take them down. And now that I'm a cop—with plenty of resources—I think I pull it all off. In hopes that no one will recognize me once I'm there, I've changed my identity and will no longer be Catherine Chandler once I step foot into Falling Spring. I'll be known as Erica Barker; the new girl, and trust me, news travels extremely fast down there, so everyone will know my name before I even get the hang of it myself.

I searched for jobs on the internet in the area—_which is all a part of my plan—_and found an opening at Katz. I have an interview at the stripper bar for a waitress opening once I arrive. So hopefully they hire me on the spot so everything else can go smoothly.

Once I'm in, I'll get as much info as I can from the other workers so I know what the gang does on a scheduled basis, and when it starts to feel comfortable, I'll make my move. But I'll have to be careful. I can't just start taking them out immediately. I'll have to take it one biker at a time.

I think I can pull this off. I've lived in New York for quite some time now, so my accent has changed to more a city-slick. My hair has been cut. It's barely past my shoulders so that I can wear a long lengthy curly blonde wig. I have contacts to make my emerald green eyes a bright, bright blue. My clothing consists of leather jackets and denim vests with washed-out, worn-out blue jeans. White and black tanks, and—_the one item I will never take off_—my brothers sterling silver cross which hangs on a long sterling silver chain. He gave it to me a year before his passing. _Before his murder, __anyways__..._

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"_Hey! You ready to go, babe?_" Jonas yells from downstairs. I finish up with my make-up—_which is light—_then grab my leather coat that's laying on the bed before making my way downstairs.

"Yeah, let's go. I don't want to miss my flight." I say as I pull my hair free of my jacket and head towards the door. But Jonas stops me by grabbing my wrist and pulling me to him for a breathtaking kiss. God, he's an amazing kisser..._ and a wonderful lover, too._

"You know you can't leave without giving me a kiss." he whispers onto my lips before kissing me again. He breaks the kiss but leaves his forehead against mine. "I'm really going to miss you." he adds.

"I know. It's only two weeks, unless I need more time—which I doubt. You know that we can call each other and Skype." I murmur, biting my lip at that last comment about Skype.

"You sure I can't come with you?" he asks, pleadingly.

I smile, tilting my head as I cup his face to kiss him one last time. "Two weeks, Jonas." I whisper. "And I'm driving." I add, giggling and taking off for the car.

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I pull my 2009 midnight blue Ford Mustang to a halt directly in front of the airport. Jonas, being in the weird mood he's in, comes around to the driver side and opens my door. I pop the trunk open and gaze at him for a moment.

"You promise you'll call as soon as you land?" he asks, and I can't help the laugh that escapes me.

"Of course, daddy dearest." I say in my most sarcastic tone, batting my eyes.

He growls, leaning forward to whisper in my ear. "I'll make you think daddy when I take you across my knee."

_Oh my God!_

"Jonas!" I playfully slap his arm, giggling. "We're in a public place." I mumble low so that the people around us doesn't hear. He chuckles and I roll my eyes at him, grabbing my duffel bag and suitcase from the trunk of the car.

We walk in silence to the terminal that leads to the plane that will take me back to the place where the worst years of my life were spent. "Well," I sigh, facing Jonas, "this is me." I smile.

"I love you, Catherine. You know that, right?"

I reach up and cup his face with one hand, stroking his cheek with my thumb. "Oh, Jonas. I know. I love you, too."

He struggles to not give me a kiss, but manages. "Have a safe flight, babe. Call me when you get there." and with that, he turns and leaves me standing there feeling guilty—_as always... Dammit, Jonas! _Sometimes I wish that I didn't get involved with him until after he was divorced. But I guess that goes along with my long line of the bad boy types of boyfriends.

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Finally, after around 3 and a half hours, I arrive at Raleigh County Memorial Airport, located near Julia, West Virginia. From there, I put my wig on in the bathroom and rent myself a 2006 black Ford F-150 truck—_since that's all they had left—_and continue my journey towards Falling Spring.

I can't help but notice that not many things have changed about the little old town. The only difference is that it has a tattoo place called _American Inks _where the ice cream shop used to be. The town is quiet and seems dead. There can only be one reason for that little issue. _The Ryders MC..._

I pull into Falling Spring Motel to get myself acquainted with a room so that I can clean up and get my disguise on. Plus, if I want a job in the heart of the biker gang's territory, then I need to look the part.

I find my room, which is luckily on the very bottom row, and throw myself back onto the bed, rubbing my eyes with the heels of my hands. _I have got to get into my A-game!_

I look at my watch. _5:30 P.M. _I still have an hour to get ready for my interview. I pull myself up off the bed and head back outside to grab my bags.

I stare at my reflection one last time before heading our to Katz. I'm wearing a tight leather zip-up vest top, which shows off the jut of my hipbones and some cleavage. My brother's necklace is tucked underneath it and I have on a pair of dark worn-out skinny jeans with the knees of the fabric cut out. I also have on my knee high, black leather boots with two inch thin heels that Jonas bought for me for Christmas last year. _Fuck! Jonas! _I forgot to call him. But he will have to wait for now.

My blonde fake hair is curled and laying over my shoulders, pinned up half-way and my make-up is dark, but tasteful, bringing out the blue of my contacts. _Ha! I'm the typical blonde-hair-blue-eyed beauty!_

I giggle when suddenly, my phone goes off. It's Jonas. I suppose it wont wait after-all. "Hey, Jonas." I answer the phone.

"_Hey, baby. Was hoping that we could chat a little while before I head into the office. Well, you know how it is. The job never seems to let up_."

_Oh, how do I know that to be true..._

"Actually, can I call you back later? I'm getting ready to head over to the bar to meet some of my old friends from school." I lie. Jonas doesn't know the real reason why I'm here. He thinks I'm only here visiting people I grew up with.

"_Sure. But __not too late, 'kay?" _

"I promise." I whisper into the phone.

"Alright, babe. Talk to you later."

"Okay. Bye." I hang up the phone and suck in a huge intake of breath, releasing it hard.

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I pull into the gravel parking lot and check my wig and make-up before exiting the car. I made sure back at the motel that I had my _new _I.D. with me, just in case they ask for identification.

I enter Katz to the sound of Def Leopard singing about being hot and sticky sweet. There is five wooden tables with poles attached to them in different areas off from the small stage on my left. Seven black tables with matching chairs sat along the huge windows near the entrance of the bar.

I look over to my left and begin walking straight towards an old fashioned wrap-around bar with green teardrop shaped drape lights all around the bar where I see a man in his early thirties with dark hair and glasses standing with a white towel thrown over his shoulder, wiping down the bar with another cloth.

"Excuse me." I say as I remove my sunglasses, clearing my throat. He looks up and doesn't look all that thrilled. "Hi. I'm Erica Barker." I introduce myself, holding out my hand. "I'm here for an interview for the waitress opening. Are you Mike?"

He huffs a puff of air in an exasperating way. "The names JT. Mike's in the back. I'll go get him. Just... have a seat." the man says as he throws down his cloth and towel.

In seconds, he returns with another man who has tattoo sleeves going up each arm. The man looks to be in his late fifties, early sixties. His hair is a mixture of gray and black. Piercing hazel green eyes, and a some salt and pepper stubble. _H__e __kind of __reminds me of a hazel-eyed version of Ron Perlman. Jeez!_

"I'm Mike. Can I help you?" the older man says in a deep tone.

"Erica Barker." I smile, extending my hand out to him. "We spoke on the phone about the job opening in waitressing."

"Oh, yeah. I remember you, now. Your accent doesn't sound like you're from 'round these parts."

"That's because I'm originally from New York." I giggle and he smiles. "Shall we sit?" I add, nodding towards a bar stool.

He nods and takes a seat and I follow suit next to him. "Where are your manners, JT? Give the lady a drink. She's come all the way from the Big Apple." Mike says with a grumbling chuckle, and it soon turns into a cough.

_Damn. Sounds like cancer, if you'd ask me..._

JT sits down a tumbler of what smells like Jack &amp; Coke. _Not really my type of drink, but I guess it will have to do._

"So you're from New York. What brings you to 'lil ole Falling Spring?" he asks once his coughing subsides.

I take a drink and sigh before responding. "Well, I guess you could say that the city life is just not for me anymore. I can actually think out here, compared to the city."

"Hmm. I suppose that makes sense. I've never lived in the city, but I can only imagine." he states. "Look, you have the job. Don't expect no paychecks, neither. We pay cash only 'round here."

_Damn, that was easy._

"You look like the type who can handle themselves 'round a place such as this. I want you start immediately, so JT here," he says, giving JT a smack on the back, "will get you a work shirt. That is all I require as far as uniform. Tess will be here any moment, now. She will show you what to do and which tables you'll serve at."

"We're looking at honesty here, right?" I ask, and he nods. "Why are you giving me the job so easily?"

He laughs, looking over at JT, then back to me. "Most of my question was already done over the phone. Besides, like the rest of my waitresses, you won't last long. My boys are too wild, especially for the likes of you. No offense."

"None taken."

"Let's just say this is more like a trial to see how you do. If you do your job right, you can stay. If not, then you're cut loose." he adds, getting up from the bar. "It was nice meeting you, Erica. I hope you are what you said you were over the phone."

That statement takes me aback. I swallow hard. "Thank you." I murmur, getting up myself. I look over towards JT and he rolls his eyes once Mike is no longer in view. "I take it you're not very fond of the boss?" I ask JT.

"Who wouldn't be?" he answers, clipped, then heads towards a hallway behind the bar and I follow.

At the end of the hallway, I see three doors. One to my right, one directly across the hall from that, and one right dead in front of me that has an _Employee's Only _sign written in big, bold letters on it. JT opens the door on the right and enters, grabbing a plain black T-shirt with _Ryders MC _written in small beautiful white cursive on the front left breast side and Katz in all capital bold white letters.

I flip the shirt and see that it has a picture of a skeleton wearing biker uniform with the same _Ryders MC_ cursive as a patch on the leather looking vest he's wearing while riding a motorcycle. It's not something I would normally wear, but on the bright side, I don't have to look at the dead motorcyclist after-all, considering it's on the back.

I wait for JT to disappear before removing my black leather vest top and putting the shirt on over my dark purple and black lace bra.

I pull the hair of my wig out from the shirt and head back out to the bar where I see JT is now standing with a beautiful light-tanned skinned woman, possibly in her late twenties. She has brown hair, pulled up into a high ponytail, with a slight frosting of blonde. She has chocolate brown eyes, and is a tad taller than me. _Perhaps this is Tess?_

"Hi. I'm Erica." I introduce myself.

"Tess." she shakes my extended hand, and continues. "So this is the new girl?" she asks JT from over her shoulder.

"Yep." he confirms.

"Okay, so Mike's boys will be coming in very soon. Since Mike is the owner and the president of the MC..." W_ait... Mike as in Michael Keller? His boys?! Vincent?! __How did I not recognize him? _

My mind flashes back to memories of when Zach and Vincent hung out at the house, getting into mischief like always. I can literally feel the color in my face drain and my hands become shaky. "...so until Tori makes it here, you'll serve them for the evening."

I missed most of that conversation, but I did catch on to that last part. _Oh my God, it's been ages since I've seen Vincent. My brother's best friend... _"Okay." I sigh.

She hands me a notepad and pencil, along with a plush cloth and points towards the table directly next to the door. I see three men sitting there cutting up and laughing, well, all except for one, who's back is facing me.

I take a deep breath, then head over towards the table. They get quiet once I'm present. "Hi, I'm Erica. What can I—"

"Well, well, well. Would ya lookie there. Looks like we got ourselves a newbie, Beast."

_Beast... _And there her is. _Vincent Keller. _Our eyes meet and a shot of electricity goes completely through my veins. He looks very different from what I remember of him. Back then, he didn't have any facial hair at all. Hell, his head was shaved then, too. But now he's... _oh, damn. He's fucking hot as hell! _

His brown tousled hair is semi-long, dangling onto his forehead on one side right above his brow. His jaw is outlined with a sexy trimmed stubble which connects with the very thin mustache along his upper lip. His brownish-green eyes are the only thing I can remember about him. Still as beautiful and bright as they always were before.

I must have been staring for quite some time because he startles me by clearing his throat. "Yeah. Looks like it." he says, his eyes still glued on me. "You know, Erica..." he sighs, looking down then back up at me, "you look oddly familiar to me. Have we met before?"

_Oh shit!_

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_****Welp, they met again. Yay! LOL! I will try to update as soon as I can. I am not only working on this fic, but also another fic for Fifty Shades of Grey called Floggers. I also have issues in my RL to deal with. I promise I will update this story when I can. And I WILL be completing this story. Sorry for mistakes, my keys on my laptop are sticking and I don't have time to go back and reread this to fix errors. So just look over it for now lol. Song used in this chapter was "Pour Some Sugar On Me" by Def Leopard. Please review and let me know what you think. XOXO!****_


	3. Ch 2 - Sparks Fly

**Disclaimer:**** Although I own the rights to this story, I do not own BATB or it's characters.**

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**Summary:**** (AU) – Catherine**** Chandler lost her brother, Zach, to The Ryders MC biker club as a young child. All grown up, she is New York's favorite undercover officer and PI. Once she takes her vacation, her work doesn't stop there. She returns to Falling Spring, West Virginia where it all began, to exact revenge on the biker gang. What she doesn't bargain for is Vincent, also known as Beast—the newly-elected vice-president of the gang and Zach's best friend. When Catherine and Vincent come face-to-face, the sparks are immediate, and Catherine finds herself torn between exacting vengeance for her shattered past, and an uncertain future in the arms of a biker bad boy.**

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**Warning: ****This story contains explicit language, graphic sexual adult content, gang violence, and drug usage. If you DO NOT wish to read any of the named above, then I advise that you not read this story at all.**

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**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks so much for your reviews. I love reading them. Had a little trouble writing this chapter due to the good ol' writers block. I hate when that happens, so took me longer to get it out. But finally, I made it. I hope you all enjoy this, like I said, I had writers block so it wasn't really my cup of tea. But for you amazing people, it may be something you all like. Anyways, enjoy and please keep your reviews coming! XOXO!**

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_**-Chapter 2—Sparks Fly-**_

_Ho-ly shit! _He knows who I am. Never throughout the years have I _ever_ doubted my disguises to ever get me through a case. _But now?_ I seriously feel like my heart is literally going to explode completely out of my chest. If I blow my cover, then it's hard telling what these people will do to me.

I mean, sure, I knew that there was a slim-to-none chance that maybe someone would recognize me as the little girl whose older brother had been an important prospect once upon a fucking time to their precious little club, but never did I think that it would happen here and now, and especially not by the Greek God himself, Vincent Keller. And in the end, I knew that I would very possibly, _even likely_, recognize a few of them, too. Hell, I mentally prepared myself for that one simple fact as I plotted this whole fiasco.

_Jesus, what do I do now? Tell him he doesn't know me, then get my throat slit for lying to him later? Tell him the truth so he can still kill me? _

But I can't let them suspect anything. I have to keep my cool and play it as the cards are handed. I can't let them see the hate I hold so deeply in the hollow of my heart where the love for my brother used to reside. I can't show them how deeply and badly I want to destroy them. To annihilate them to pieces of garbage, _just like they did to my family._

"I'm sorry, but I believe you have mistaken me for somebody else." I finally respond after what seemed like hours of glaring at my brother's best friend. He gives me an impassive look while he studies me closely, then within the blink of an eye, he's smiling deviously.

"Well, then, Erica. It's truly a pleasure to meet you." he says, and I can't help but swallow hard at how sexy his deep baritone voice rumbles through me. _What the fuck, Catherine? Get a grip!_

"Same here, Beast."

"Vincent. Just call me Vincent. Beast is just a nickname."

I nod, biting the corner of my bottom lip. "Vincent." I mumble low as my eyes reach the floor. I'm not really sure if heard correctly, but it sounded like he growled as he sucked in a sharp breath of air. I clear my throat realizing that I'm at their table for a reason and I pull out my pen and pad, clicking the pen to life. I probably don't even need the damn thing. My memory is still in tact, but Tess handed it to me anyway, so I just go with the flow of it. "What can I get y'all?" I say, never looking back up. My cheeks suddenly heat up and I yelp in shock when Blondie, sitting next to Vincent, slaps my ass... hard. My eyes instantly dart in his direction, and I glare at him, not caring that he's part of a brutal biker gang.

He mumbles something low so that I can't hear him, biting his lip while he stares at my backside which he just slapped. _I want to rip __his__ throat out._ I don't take too kindly to strange men slapping my ass, especially since I'm already happily taken. Just ask the last guy what happened to him when he pulled that stunt in a bar in Manhattan. I doubt he's having any children for a while, if not for the rest of his life.

"Fuck off, Danny." Vincent growls, glaring at him as he sits up in his seat. "Show some respect, would 'ya?"

I glance over at Vincent. My angry gaze has shifted into shock. I am truly taken aback by how Vincent stood up for me. He meets my eyes and a ghost of a smile appears in one corner of his mouth as he winks at me. I blush. _Sweet Mother of Mary! _It should be illegal to wink like that. Especially coming from a beautiful man like himself.

I shift my legs slightly as all of the blood rushes in between my legs and my breath hitches in my throat as I swallow hard. I shake my head and face towards Danny. Looking at him now, closely anyways, I realize that he shares light features with Vincent. Willie more so than Danny, so I presume them both to be Daniel and William Keller, Vincent's brothers.

Blondie laughs, breaking me from my thoughts while he rubs his index finger across his bottom lip, still staring at my ass and it only brings my anger back out. "Excuse my manners, _Erica." _He says, finally directing his eyes to mine. "Beast and I normally have a beer to begin our evening. And Willie over there," he points to the other side of Vincent to a jet black curly haired man with a teardrop tattoo underneath his left eye, "normally has his shots of any dark liquor you've got." he continues to smile, almost as if he's proud of himself.

_Or maybe it's because he slapped my ass and I'm still fuming over the gesture, not being able to do anything about it... yet._

"Bottle or draft?" I ask through a grit-toothed smile.

"Bottle." Vincent chimes in before Blondie can say anything. Both Danny and I look over at Vincent. Danny's looking at him as if he's ready to beat his ass for interrupting whatever he thought he would get out of me, and I'm staring because his voice is deeper than I remember. Smooth like velvet and oh-so-sexy. His eyes pierce mine and I feel as if I'm going to faint from his lust-filled gaze.

"Right." I breathe, clearing my throat and looking back down to my feet. _How can one man disarm me so easily? _Jonas was never that talented, nor was he as good looking as Vincent was. I mean, sure, Jonas is hot as hell, but he's no Adonis. "I'll uhm... get them back to you asap." I mumble before turning on my heels to head towards JT and Tess.

When I finally make it back to the bar, my sanity returns and I feel like my body has completely snapped out of some dark sexual trance. As if Vincent had a temporary spell on me.

"Don't worry about Danny-boy. He's always like that. He seems to think that he's the sexiest bastard alive and that he should get every woman in the world in bed." Tess says cooly whilst drying a shot glass.

"Yeah, well, he's lucky I didn't knock him on his ass." I sigh, sitting on the bar stool while I wait for their drinks.

Tess laughs. "I like how you think. But let me give you a piece of advice. The MC are our bread and butter, so that being said, you can't just go knocking them out of their chairs. You just gotta go with whatever they do. Most of them, are pretty decent, like Vinnie over there. They will all at some point joke around with you _and _feel you up every once in a while, but you will run into a couple of savages along the way and trust me, those are the ones you need to avoid. They get pretty mean, especially while drinking."

I huff a laugh. "I'm very capable of taking care of myself, but thanks for the heads-up. I'll take it into my memory banks."

"I'm serious, Erica." She stops everything she's doing and gazes at me with concern. "Avoid them and by any means necessary, avoid decking them. Especially Willie and Mike. They're the meanest when drunk." she hands me a tray with two opened beer bottles and three shot glasses full of what smells like Jack and Coke then returns to her duties.

I continue staring at her questionably. _Did something happen to her to make her feel so strongly about warning me about them? _I plan to figure all of that out later, but for now, I have drinks to serve.

I toss my blonde hair over to one shoulder and head back to the table. Vincent's eyes are the first to connect with mine and I mentally shiver at how beautiful his chocolate brown orbs are. _Think about Jonas! Think about Jonas! Think. About. Jonas! _I repeat this mantra in my head whilst I finally pull my eyes away from his.

I sit down, first Danny's beer, then Vincent's, and lastly, Willie's three shots. I ask them if there is anything else they need, when Danny slaps my ass—_even harder this time—_and chuckles as he caresses my ass after.

"Get your hands off my ass before I break them." I hiss through grit teeth. My eyes are more than likely showing fire in them as I say the words because he drops his hand instantly.

He laughs. "Calm down, baby. Just trying to get a feel. I'm sure you've heard this a lot, but you have the most slappable ass. Mmm-mm-mmm. I'm sure my brothers can agree to that, right Beast?"

Vincent just glares at him, and I can feel the daggers coming out of his eyes towards his brother.

"You're such an animal, Danny." a soft crooning voice comes from behind me. A beautiful strawberry-blonde woman with bright blue eyes appears from the entrance, walking her way behind Danny and wrapping her arms around his neck from behind him as their lips lock in a heated kiss.

I take that as my cue and begin walking away towards the bar, but before I can even get two steps away from their table, Danny calls out to me. "Maybe Tori here can show you how to treat a man right." he says angrily yet hurtful all at the same time.

I honestly don't know why it bothered me, but his words cut me like a knife. I feel like I've been slapped in the face. Tori laughs at his comment and I just simply turn and smile. _He'll be the first to go!_

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The night drags out and I realize that Tess can be quite chatty. I've discovered that JT and her are married and have a daughter at home whist they are here working. JT used to be a member of the Ryders, too. You wouldn't believe it by just looking at him. Actually, I didn't even believe Tess at first neither. But hey, I guess it's a good thing that he's sort of out of their clutches. Well, when he's not busting tabs here at the stripper joint.

Tori has hardly said two words to me tonight. She doesn't come off as friendly... at all. She's actually too busy sitting in the laps of the men who control this dirty joint. No, seriously, she has flirted and/or made out with nearly every member of the Ryders MC tonight and that even includes Mike.

Vincent doesn't seem to notice her. He just shrugs her off every time she touches him. He doesn't seem thrilled by her presence at all. And then I realize that I've been staring at him again... _shit! _He notices, too, and he smirks at me. I blink rapidly and shake my head as I head towards another awaiting table.

Goosebumps crawl ever so slowly up my spine causing the little hairs on the back of my neck to stand, for I can feel his gaze burning into me. I refuse to look at him. I know that if I do I will completely forget why I am here and who is waiting for me back at home. A man like Vincent is just too tempting.

_What the hell is wrong with you? Haven't been in town a full 24 hours and you're already fantisizing about screwing your brother's best friend in a stripper joint?_

Oh, shut the fuck up, I tell the voice inside of my head, also known as my subconsciousness. She's also known as _The Bitch. _A big pain in my ass, if you ask me. I mean, what harm is in a glance here and there? It would help me blend in, right?

_No!_

Shut. Up!

I close my eyes while I continue arguing with myself and in the process, I walk into Tori, whom has been giving me death glares all fucking night as if I'm invading her territory; as if I'm challenging her when I am doing neither. I have no interest in getting involved with a member of the biker gang.

"Watch where you're goin'!" she growls.

If I lose my cool now, I'm more than likely going to reveal who I really am. So I choose to look over her bitchy tone. "Sorry, I was just—"

"Just stay out of my way, Rookie. You don't want none of this." she says and my eyes wonder back over to Vincent and she scoffs. "And stay the hell away from Beast, too. He's mine. Besides, he wouldn't give a girl like you the time of day. You will never be a Ryders chick... ever. Especially since I will be the next female authority in the gang. Vincent will become president of the MC and I will be by his side, and trust me, the likes of you won't be around once I'm in charge." and with that, she walks off with her nose turned towards the heavens.

_What a bitch!_

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As the club begins to die out and less people are around, mainly because almost all 25 gang members—_including the dancers and waitresses of the bar—_have escaped back behind the 'Employee's Only' door, more than likely having a huge orgy, which is disgusting in my book. JT and I sit at the bar with Tess and have a few drinks for ourselves, enjoying the quiet time we have left before we head home.

"So, how was your first night?" JT asks as he takes a sip of whiskey.

I sigh. "Well, the excitement sure does go on and on all night. I think I'll dream of fake boobs and hot pink thongs tonight after hours of nothing but strippers being flung in front of me all evening."

Tess laughs. "Now you know how I feel. But hey, you'll get used to it." she says, smiling and raising her glass of whiskey up to me. "To new beginnings and blooming friendships." she adds with a smirk. Damn that girl can't handle liquor at all.

I laugh, raising my glass at the same time as JT and we all clink our glasses before chugging off the rest of the contents in our glasses. Tess, JT, and I could totally be friends. They remind me of my friends back in New York. Calm, cool, collective and, of course, friendly. "Welp," I slap both palms onto the bar as I stand, "I will see you both Monday night."

Tess salutes, giggling, and JT nods with a half smile. Suddenly, my body slams to a halt when a pair of hands glide around my hips, digging the tips of their fingers into the jut of my hipbones, and I can smell beer coming off strongly from his breath. "Mmm, Erica. God knows I've been craving to taste you all night long." It's Danny. _Shit!_

My mind goes into full panic now because I have to decided whether or not to kick him in groin right now for touching me this way. I'm not saying the guy isn't attractive, but he's not my type, plus, I have a wonderful man back in New York waiting for me. But if I do decide to take action, that could get me into a world of hurt, so I've decided to force myself to deal with it for now.

He slides his hands down cup my backside and tears sting the back of my eyes. I close them, not intending on giving him the satisfaction of seeing me break. It isn't until he tries to touch my sex that I feel him being ripped off of me by Vincent and slammed down onto the bar with both of his arms behind him above his head. "I said to show some respect, brother. She's new to all of this and you're drunk. For the love of God, pull yourself together before you do something that we both know you'd regret later." Vincent hisses and pushes himself off of his brother and furiously walks out of the club.

I look over at Tess and JT, both of their eyes are wide and mouths gaped open as if they couldn't believe what just happened. I transfer my gaze towards the door that Vincent nearly took off the hinges as he burst out of them. I decide it's my time to leave.

I look over at Danny and he's panting trying to breathe. He pushes past me and it nearly knocks me over by how hard his shoulder hits mine. _Bastard! _Finally, I tell JT and Tess that I'm heading out and make my way outside.

"Sorry about Danny."

I jump, startled by the deep baritone voice from behind me, dropping my keys and phone to the ground as I gasp a yelp. When I turn around I see Vincent leaned up against the wall, one leg bent with his foot on the wall and his arms are crossed in front his chest. He comes to full stand and lights a cigarette.

With my eyes glued onto his beautiful face, I kneel down and grab my phone and keys before standing back up. "Those things will kill you, 'ya know?" I mumble after taking in a deep breath of the cool night air. I cross my arms loosely under my breasts, my eyes travel down to loose gravels beneath my feet.

He chuckles, flicking the cigarette across the parking lot after only two puffs then licks his lips. _Hmm... those lips._ I realize that my gaze has been locked on his lips and he clears his throat as he begins to speak. "So I've heard." he responds. "I'm actually trying to quit, but it's hard. Especially when you live a life like I do."

"I'm sure." I mutter, nodding in agreement.

"Danny. He's really a good guy. I'm sorry for how he acted earlier towards you. He never really learned any manners. He's used to taking what he wants... without asking." he says, fidgeting with the cigarette pack in his hand before tossing it in the trash can beside him.

I can't help but gaze at him. Vincent 'Beast' Keller... the MC Leader's son and future president of the biker gang that took my family one-by-one away from me actually has a heart. I'm in awe of how kind he truly is. I had expected him to be a prick, quite frankly. But he's not. He's just... I don't know. _Caring._

Now I see why my brother liked him so well; why my brother cared about him as if he were his own flesh and blood. My brother loved this man like family and I am beginning to see why. Before, I couldn't help but feel jealous towards Beast because of all the time Zach spent with Vincent instead of me. My lip trembles thinking about Zach, but I bite it to restrain myself from breaking down in front of him. "Thank you." I whisper, looking back up into his eyes.

He runs a hand through his sexy semi-long hair, his lips pressed into a firm line as if he wants to say more, and he finally does after a few minutes. "You want a ride?" he asks, nodding his head towards a shiny black and chrome Harley Davidson. _Oh, how I've missed being on the back of a Harley. _

"Uhm... No, thank you. I have a car, so..." I trail off, pointing at the rental truck I purchased at the airport upon arrival, giggling nervously. I have no idea why his presence makes me feel so shy and nervous, but I'm finding it harder to be around him right now. I need to get out of here. Go to my lovely motel room and call my _boyfriend._

"What about tomorrow?" he asks, raising a brow as he licks those kissable lips.

_Jesus H. Christ!_

"I don't know. I guess I'll just go out tomorrow and check out the area or something. But really, I need to go. I'm really exhausted, 'ya know." I clear my throat, before turning on my heels and heading to my car. When I go to shut the door, Vincent catches it, gazing into my eyes with furrowed brows. I didn't even realize that he was tailing behind me that close.

I gasp at how close he is to me. If I was to move my face up two inches, our noses would touch. Instead, I play it smart and keep my head down, but my gaze is locked with his under my lashes.

"Goodnight, Erica." he breathes, trading glances between my eyes and lips for a split second. I swallow hard and he finally releases my door, allowing me to close it.

I roll down my window and give him a forced smile. "Goodnight, Vincent." and with that, I pull out of the parking lot and head back to my hotel.

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_****I know it's not much of anything, but at least you know that the sparks are there between them. I truly apologize for the long wait, but I am officially back. Now that I'm out of school and taking a break this summer, I'll have more time to write ;) My aunt has truly improved since yesterday. God has done an amazing thing with her. We truly thought we had lost her. She was literally dying and on a ventilator as well as her kidneys shutting down and yesterday we received word that she woke up and knew everybody in the room. She even spoke to her son and asked for something to drink and said she was cold. Her kidneys are working again, very strong too. So now they are putting her through rehab since they are taking out the ventilator and after, sending her home. Thank you all for your support and love. I truly don't know what I would do without you all. My next update will be a while though, because I'll be updating my FSOG story, plus, I am planning on visiting a fellow beastie that lives closeby to take a break from my RL. I've been working extremely hard on my degrees, family issues, children, my car, etc. so I feel like I deserve a short vacation at home. But no worries, I will write asap. I hope you all liked this chapter. XOXO!****_


	4. Ch 3 - Home Sweet Home

**Disclaimer:**** Although I own the rights to this story, I do not own BATB or it's characters.**

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**Summary:**** (AU) – Catherine**** Chandler lost her brother, Zach, to The Ryders MC biker club as a young child. All grown up, she is New York's favorite undercover officer and PI. Once she takes her vacation, her work doesn't stop there. She returns to Falling Spring, West Virginia where it all began, to exact revenge on the biker gang. What she doesn't bargain for is Vincent, also known as Beast—the newly-elected vice-president of the gang and Zach's best friend. When Catherine and Vincent come face-to-face, the sparks are immediate, and Catherine finds herself torn between exacting vengeance for her shattered past, and an uncertain future in the arms of a biker bad boy.**

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**Warning:****This story contains explicit language, graphic sexual adult content, gang violence, and drug usage. If you DO NOT wish to read any of the named above, then I advise that you not read this story at all.**

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**A/N: Yal are truly amazing! Thank you all for your reviews. I see that a lot of you noticed the tension between Vincent and Catherine. Well, that is only the start of it all. Catherine has a lot to think about though, she has a boyfriend back in New York and gradually, you will see how she struggles with her feelings for Vincent and for Jonas, plus how she feels about the MC in general. Oh, and yes, the dreadful Tori Windsor plays a short role into this story; possibly one of my MANY bad guys in this story. **

**Muahahahaha!**

**Anyways, happy reading my lovelies, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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_**-Chapter 3—Home Sweet Home-**_

The whole drive back to my motel seemed like it was taking centuries. Honestly, I was trapped in a daze the whole way back. All of my thoughts were spinning considering everything that happened tonight. Danny. Tori. And then Vincent. Oh, Vincent. His face constantly fills my thoughts the whole way to the motel. My expectations of him being this mean, nasty jerk were actually the opposite. He was so... _different. _Even his looks had changed.

The way his shirt stretched against his muscular ripped torso, his long brown locks that I craved most of the night to run my fingers through, and his panty-dropping smile was to die for. Hell, I even summed him up into one little word. _Sexy-__as-fuck!_ Okay, that was three words, but who cares? The man is even better looking than the first time I laid eyes on him.

_Could this really have been the same Vincent that had come to tell my parents about Zach's death, all of those years ago?_

Of course it is. Vincent Keller is still here after all of these years. I was completely shocked to see him tonight... and maybe a little thrilled at the same time. I guess it felt good to be around somebody who knew my brother better than me, and a part of me wondered if he was single or not.

_Dammit__, Catherine!_

I need to stay focused. I came here for one reason, and one reason only_. _I can't let Vincent distract me. I need to remember that even though he may be the sweetest person I've met—_besides JT and Tess—_since I've arrived back in town, he is still the enemy. He's part of the MC and because of them, my family is dead. _Zach_ is dead. _I need to fucking focus! _Perhaps hearing my loving boyfriend's voice will help me. Oh, and maybe a hot bath, too.

I enter my motel room, closing the door and locking it behind me as I release a heavy breath. I pull off my wig and sling it onto the bed along with my purse, phone, and keys, then removing the hair pins which releases my long dark brown wavy hair. Damn, it sure feels good getting that stupid wig off. I rake my fingers through my hair several times, enjoying the feel of my nails on my scalp. Wigs can be very itchy, 'ya know. And sweaty, too.

I make my way into the bathroom and notice how truly tired I really am. Between jet lag and long hours of being on feet at the strippers joint, I feel like I could hibernate for months. I sigh as I open the mirror above the sink to grab my contact case and close it removing my contacts revealing my bright emerald green eyes. There, that's more like it. I rub my eyes and walk over to the bath and turn on the hot water faucet, then strip myself of my clothing when suddenly my phone blares from where I left it on the bed. I smile when I recognize the ring tone as Jonas'. I grab a towel and rush to my phone, fumbling the phone when I finally answer it.

"Hey, baby. Sorry I rushed you off the phone earlier. I just didn't want to be late meeting the girls. How was work?" I say, falling back onto the bed causing my body to bounce a couple of times.

"Hey, Cat." he says, sounding a little bit off. "Long and exhausting. I'm really beat, babe. But I miss you, so I wanted to get a few minutes in with your beautiful voice before I called it a night. How was drinks?"

_Oh shit... _I didn't fully think about how I would play off my lie about having drinks with old girlfriends. _Think, Catherine, think!_

"Uh... er... uhm... It went really... well. I had a nice time." I truly hate lying to Jonas, but he wouldn't understand if I told him the truth.

He yawns and I can tell he's stretching at the same time. "That's great, babe. I'm glad that you had a great time. Have any plans for tomorrow? I'm off so I was hoping that we could maybe Skype over dinner?"

I smile. I truly do miss Jonas and our dinner nights. It really sucks that we have to do this over video chat, but I suppose it will have to do. "Sure. And as far as plans go, I was hoping to go out into town tomorrow, you know, get to know the place again and see what's new."

He sighs heavily and I close my eyes as the growl that escaped at the end of that long sigh turns me on a little. "I really am going to miss holding you in bed tonight. I wish you would have let me come with you. I'm sure your friends would've loved me as much as you do."

"Mmm-hmm. I'm sure they would, Jonas. But you know that I needed this vacation alone."

"So what are you wearing?" he murmurs oh so deeply into the phone and I can't help the giggle that escapes me.

"You really want to know?" I ask as I bite my lip.

"You know that I do, Catherine."

_Sweet Jesus! _

Instead of telling him, I put my call on speaker and raise my phone above me to snap a photo, sending it to Jonas and wait for his response. He groans deeply and I smile knowing full well that he approves. "I was just about to take a bath when you called."

_Tap! Tap! Tap!_

"Hold on, Jonas. Someone's at the door." I toss my phone down onto the bed, run to the door and peep through the little hole on the top portion of the door. "FUCK!" I 's Vincent. _How __the hell __did he know that I was here? _

Fuck it. I can't think about all of that now.

"_Babe? You there?" _I hear Jonas' disembodied voice from where I left my phone laying on the bed. There is a few more taps on the door.

"Just a minute!" I shout, running into the bathroom to put the contacts back into my eyes, then I run back to my bed to grab my wig, hair pins, and phone, rushing back into the bathroom.

"_Cat?" _Jonas shouts again.

"Hey, let me call you back. Love you!" I say in a rush and before Jonas can finish a full sentence trying to protest, I hang up on him, tossing my phone onto the counter of the bathroom sink. I frantically pin my hair up in no time flat, placing the wig on. After making sure that I no longer look like Catherine Chandler, I run to the door and open it with a loud and fast _whoosh._

And there he is in all of his blue denim jeans and black cotton T-shirt glory. Vincent Keller.

He stares at me with his mouth a gape, his eyes a couple of shades darker and when I look down and see that I am still in only a towel, I feel my whole body turn the deepest shade of crimson. I was just in such a rush to put my disguise back on that I completely forgot to dress. _Good going, Catherine!_

"Vincent." I nearly squeak, in shock. I clear my throat and try to hide behind the door since I'm practically almost nude. "Uhm... wh-what are you doing here?" I ask.

His eyes finally meet mine and he closes his mouth, patting a pair of sunglasses onto his palm. "I was in the area and I saw you here so I thought I would just stop by and say hi." he pauses, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, well, hi." I mutter, leaning against the door frame as my arms cross over my chest. But then I realize there is something missing. _Oh, no! Zach's necklace!_

"I think you dropped this back at Katz." he smiles, handing me my brother's necklace. My eyes instantly widen, surprised that he hasn't recognized the necklace yet. I sigh, reaching for the necklace, our fingers brush against each others and I feel this zap of electricity shoot through my body. I look up at him and from the way he's looking at me, he felt it, too.

"I, erm... I would invite you in, Vincent, but I was about to wash off the day and head to bed."

He shakes his head and smiles. "No, uhm... it's fine. I just came by to say hello, and I did, so... I uh... guess I'll get going."

"Alright, then. Thanks for coming by."

He nods, then turns walking towards his Harley. I can't help but glance at his ass. _Hmm, such a nice ass at that. _I bite my lip, when suddenly, he turns and walks back to my door. "You want to grab a beer sometime? Maybe a bite to eat or something tomorrow?"

"Oh," I pause, shocked by his proposal. Honestly, I want to say yes. I want so badly to get to know all of the things about him and possibly some things I thought I knew about Zach. But in reality, I can't. Yes, I know, it's just an innocent little date, but to me I would feel like I was betraying both Jonas and my family for even considering going out for beers with Vincent, the future president of the MC. Perhaps I should tell him that I have a boyfriend?

"I have a boyfriend."

"Lucky guy." he pauses to smile. "Look, it's not even like that. All I want to do is buy a beautiful woman a couple of beers in way of welcoming her into town. Please, Erica. Let me do this."

Clearly he's not going to stop asking me if I continue to say no. Maybe this could be helpful to get some information on the gang. _I mean, it's just burgers and beer, right?_ A little harmless outting with a family friend. Perhaps, I should take advantage of this as a way into the minds of the MC.

"Okay, fine. But on one condition." I say, biting my lip to stifle a smile.

He chuckles. "Sure. Your wish is my command."

"We're definitely taking your Harley." I point in the direction of his bike, giggling.

"Deal." he smiles. "I'll see you tomorrow, then. Is noon okay for you?"

"Great." I shrug, smiling. He nods, licking those beautiful kissable lips before turning on his heels to get back onto his bike. _Wait, kissable, Catherine? Really?! And here I thought you had complete control over everything..._

Oh, shut up!

He stares at me while he puts his helmet on, starting the engine and revving up the motor. _Damn, that sound is like music to my ears._ I swore for the past year that I would finally get my hands on one myself, but never actually proceeded to do so, and I can't seem to fathom why. His eyes finally leave mine, and like a bat out of hell, he takes off under the night sky to a place I have no clue of. More than likely, he's returning to Katz to where the rest of them are at.

I sigh, closing my door and leaning back onto it. _Oh, God... what have I got myself into?_

After my bath, I send Jonas a text wishing him a good night, then climb into my bed. It takes me a while to fall asleep, but I manage to anyways.

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I'm jostled awake when I hear a motorcycle pull up to the motel. I look over to my left and see that it's four in the morning. The moonlight barely seeps through a crack between the curtains, and I get up out of the bed long enough to see who is outside. I keep my stance hiding behind the curtain and am shocked to see Vincent, and he's walking towards my door. He looks pretty pissed off right about now and I can only think of one reason as to why. _He's figured out who I am..._

I run for the bathroom, and grab my gun out of the bottom cabinet, loading it as I do. I close the bathroom door, locking it and wait. My heart is assaulting my chest as it beats heavily; frantically. My breathing has increased, but I try desperately to slow it down, taking deep breaths in my nose and out of my mouth. Sweat has formed into little beads across my forehead and on my cheeks. I close my eyes while I wait for all hell to break loose.

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

"I know you're in there, Erica. Or should I call you Catherine?" Vincent says as he pounds on my motel door several more times.

I've got to end this now. I count backwards from ten as I slowly open the bathroom door, but am met by Vincent's hand wrapped ever so tightly around my neck. My gun instantly drops out of my hand and I can't reach it due to the vice like grip he holds onto my throat. He slams me up against the wall, his eyes merely centimeters away from mine to the point our foreheads are almost touching. I see fire burning in his eyes. Hate. Hurt. And deceit. I have betrayed his trust by lying to him. And now, he's going to kill me.

I know I could take him down from this position, but oddly, I don't. I have no reason as to why I can't move, but I feel trapped by his gaze. I reach my hand up and, surprisingly, I cup his face, sliding my palm down his cheek.

I feel like I have given up the fight. I just don't feel the need or want to live anymore. I'm ready to join my family. "It's okay." I choke out what I can through his grip on my throat. "Do your worse."

_What the fuck is wrong with me? _This is not me. I don't understand why I'm not fighting this. It's almost as if I accepted death in the hands of Vincent Keller.

Tears silently fall down my cheeks as I feel my soul trying to force it's way out of this body it's trapped in. My eyes slowly begin to close and my lungs burn from not getting enough air. My head feels like it's about to pop off. I hear a clicking noise and finally build the strength to open my eyes once more. He has a gun to my head now and I just want him to get this over with so I no longer have to suffer.

* * *

I jump up in the bed, gasping for air and my hands are grasping my throat. _What the hell was that all about? Now I'm dreaming about him? Killing me? Am I that paranoid?_

I get out of the bed, grabbing my silk robe off the chair and make my way over to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. I have no idea what that dream meant or if it even had a meaning at all. I honestly don't know what to think of it. I shake my thoughts immediately of the dream.

I down half of my water before putting the lid back onto it and place it back into the fridge. I decide that sleep is not something I want to do right now after that crazy dream, so I decide to open up my laptop and make use of the free WiFi here at the motel.

I do some research on Falling Spring and discover that the house of where I was born and raised in is up for sell. I click on the link that leads me to the web page of Falling Spring Reality and I grab a pen and paper, writing down the phone number and email address of Ken Sparks, the realtor for the house.

I wouldn't say that I want to buy it, but for some reason, I want to go back there and at least look at it. The photos of the house show it in pretty bad shape. The yard looks as if it's never been kept, the siding of the house is peeling off, the porch needs to be painted—hell, the whole fucking house needs a paint job, and from what I can see in the photos, there are a couple of windows busted out. I can only imagine what damages are for the inside of the house if it looks this bad on the outside. I need to get a better look at it.

I take a shower to wash the remains of my nightmare away and prepare for another day in the eyes of Erica Barker. I put on a pair of worn, faded blue denim pants and a black cotton V-neck T-shirt. I decided since my brother's necklace broke, I'll just carry it with me in my pocket. I put on light make-up and spray my favorite brand of perfume on. _Mmm, vanilla. _I love the smell of vanilla. It's just... simple.

My phone pings and I look to see that it's Jonas. He sent me a text.

_Just call me when you actually get a chance to have a full conversation. Miss you. -Jonas_

I sigh. I know I'm probably frustrating him by hanging up on him a lot lately, but I have a job to do and I can't have him stall me or distract me. I love the guy, don't get me wrong, but Jonas can be just that, distracting. I send him a text back telling him I will call later tonight before bed and that I love him, then toss my phone onto the bed.

Grabbing one of my brother's favorite black leather jackets that he normally wore when out riding on his Fatboy. It's a tad bigger than me, but it will do, especially since it's drizzling the rain. I grab my phone, keys, and purse and head out towards my truck, hopping in considering it sits pretty high and I'm only 5'4".

Before pulling out, I decide to send a text to the realtor that is over my old family home. I know it's Sunday, and that most realtor's prefer not to work on a Sunday, I let him know that I am highly interested in the house, even though I have no plans what-so-ever to purchase it. I'm not sure I could live in it again after all of these years.

I pull out of the gravel parking lot of the motel and head towards Amber St. where it all began. On the way there, my phone begins to ring and I suddenly feel nervous to see that it's Ken, the realtor.

"Hello." I answer.

"Yes, is this Erica Barker speaking?"

"The one and only." I giggle.

He chuckles and begins doing what sounds like he's shuffling papers around. "So I saw that you're interested in the old Chandler residence?"

I freeze, unable to speak. _They still call it that? After all of these years? Bloody hell! _"Uhm... yes. "In fact, I'm on my way there and was hoping you could meet me so I could take a tour of the house?"

"Sure. It will take me about an hour to get there since I live out of town, but the door is unlocked. You can go right in and check out the place by yourself. But do try to be careful while walking around the place. The floors are old and need replacing and could give out, mainly in the kitchen area."

"Of course. Thank you so much, Mr. Sparks. I have plenty of time to wait." I murmur into the phone before hanging up.

* * *

The rest of my drive is full of thoughts and memories of the old place I used to call my home. I can remember one time Zach and I would always hang out in the attic. I wonder if anyone has been up there since my dad and I left. _Only one way to find out._

When I pull into the driveway, I notice that there is a hell of a lot more work needing to be done. I sigh in frustration at how poorly the house has been treated. I'm completely disgusted. This place always meant so much to my parents that I know what I have to do to make it up to them.

I pull my phone out and begin taking photos of the outside damage before I proceed inside. The roof looks to be caving, most of the siding on the back of the house is gone, the yard has dead areas in the grass from where it stands so damn tall, and I counted four windows which need to be replaced. The porch needs to be rebuild in places and the whole house needs a paint job.

I make my way finally to the front door, and my heart falls deep within my stomach when my hand touches the knob. I can't believe I'm doing this. I swallow hard and twist the knob with a _click _and open the door. I just stand there, my eyes scanning the whole area that's in sight. _Wow, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. _

I take a step inside and close the door behind me. I try the light switch, but nothing happens. I don't know why I had expected the lights to work in a non-livable house. Ken was right though, the floors feel pretty weak. My eyes go directly for the stairs and my body just begins to move in whatever direction my eyes take me.

Finally, I make it to the door of my old bedroom. I trace my fingers down the closed door before opening it. I gasp at how it almost looks the same as when we lived here. Whoever bought it after us, sure did keep the same colors I had in here myself. It's as if it never changed. I walk inside slowly, taking in all of the memories that flash into my mind. The room of course, is empty, well, all except for a vanity chest and bench.

I make my way to the chest and plop down onto the bench which sits in front of the vanity. I trail my fingertips across the dusty surface before rubbing them onto my pants. I get up and make my way through the hallway. I pass Zach's room on purpose because I don't think I would be able to keep what sanity I have left if I do. I go back downstairs into the living room. I smile at all of the wonderful Christmas's and Birthday's we shared together in here. It looks a tad different, but nearly the same as when I was living here.

The space is large, a huge bay window facing the driveway, a mantel above the fireplace where Zach and I would sit and drink hot chocolate during the winter. _All before he joined that stupid biker club, anyways. _I frown as tears sting the backs of my eyes. _Will I ever get over Zach's death? My parents? _I highly doubt it.

I begin taking more photos of the inside of the house just like I did with the outside, when I'm interrupted by the sound of a motorcycle rumbling to a halt just outside of the house. _Surely Ken didn't ride one all the way out here?_

I peek out of the window and see none other than Vincent, sitting in the same exact spot he sat in when he came to tell my parents the news of Zach's death. For some reason, he stays on the bike, making no effort to come inside. He's just staring up at the house, the same look he had on his face in my dream. Thoughts of my nightmare come flooding back into my mind as my eyes widen. I step away from the window, leaning back onto the wall, just like I did in my dream. I realize that my gun is in the truck and I have no idea if he is armed or not.

_Dammit! _How could I be so reckless? I've been through special training for situations like this and here I am, without any form of protection besides my own two hands. _What if he does know who I really am? __What if he's here to kill me? _

Not knowing what to do, I decide to swallow any fear down and make my way outside to where he is sitting. The corner of his mouth rises when he sees me.

"Are you following me?" I ask with a raised brow as I finally approach him.

"I wouldn't call it following. More like stopping by since I saw your truck sitting out here. Interested in the place?" he says, finally getting off his bike, kicking the stand down. _Damn, he makes even that look sexy. _

Catherine!

_Okay! Okay!_

I need to think up a lie. I don't want him to suspect anything since so far it seems he hasn't. "Maybe I am. I figured since it was pretty cheap and on the market, why not? I mean, I can't just live in the motel the rest of my life, right?"

He laughs and I can't help but melt at how amazing it sounds to my ears. "I guess you're right, although, some people around here do. I guess it's whatever your preferences are, Erica."

I shrug, smiling. I look down at my phone and see that Ken has sent me a text, letting me know that it will be three hours instead of one because he has a flat tire and doesn't know how to change it. _Typical, high-class men. _I sigh. _Oh, well_.

"So I was wondering since I'm here, maybe we could go out for lunch?" Vincent asks, his eyes hold a glimmer of hope.

"Uhm, I'm not really that hungry right now, thanks though." I murmur, looking down at the ground, when suddenly, my stomach gives me away. _Dammit!_

He smirks in victory, raising a brow. "You were saying?" _Bastard!_

I smile mockingly at him. "That would be nice. I guess I am kind of hungry. But I have to be back here in a couple of hours to speak to the realtor, so." I trail off as I head towards my truck. He stops me, grabbing my hand and I nearly faint at how fast the shock runs through me by his touch.

"I thought we was taking my Harley?" he asks, chuckling. _Oh yeah. That's right. I did say that I wouldn't go unless we rode the motorcycle. _Surprisingly, I'm thrilled. I honestly can't wait to feel the wind kissing my face.

I lock up the truck and shove my keys and phone into my purse before walking back over to where his bike sits. He smiles, handing me a helmet, helping me adjust it on my head.

"You ready?" he asks, and I swear it comes out so sensually.

"Yup." I say, popping the 'P'. He climbs onto the bike, scooting up a little. He extends a hand to assist me onto the motorcycle and I take it willingly, causing that familiar spark between us, and throw a leg over the bike until I'm comfortably straddling it. The rain has slacked off since I arrived to the house, so thankfully the ride won't be too bad.

He starts up the Harley with a deep pur to the engine, the vibration causing this awkward delicious feeling deep in my stomach. Before taking off, he looks over his shoulder at me. "Hold on tight. I like going fast." he chuckles and my body defies me and begins throbbing by his choice of words. I blink rapidly, regaining my barrens about myself, then awkwardly wrap my arms around his waist.

_Damn he feels so good. _

His body feels even more ripped than he looked. And he smells oh so good. He kicks the stand back up and we teeter a little. The adrenaline has already began consuming me and I must admit, it feels fantastic.

And with the twist of his wrist, and a loud squeal from me, the bike speeds off back into the direction of town. For the first time in years, I feel alive.

_Home Sweet Home..._

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_****Stopping it there. I know it wasn't all that great, but like I said before, even the boring chapters are necessary. Please excuse any mistakes along the way. I will go back when i can and fix them. So what did you think? What do you think will happen next? Find out in the next installment of Ryders. Hopefully soon! Thanks so much for reading!****_


	5. Ch 4 - Friends Close, Enemies Closer

**Disclaimer:**** Although I own the rights to this story, I do not own BATB or it's characters.**

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**Summary:**** (AU) – Catherine**** Chandler lost her brother, Zach, to The Ryders MC biker club as a young child. All grown up, she is New York's favorite undercover officer and PI. Once she takes her vacation, her work doesn't stop there. She returns to Falling Spring, West Virginia where it all began, to exact revenge on the biker gang. What she doesn't bargain for is Vincent, also known as Beast—the newly-elected vice-president of the gang and Zach's best friend. When Catherine and Vincent come face-to-face, the sparks are immediate, and Catherine finds herself torn between exacting vengeance for her shattered past, and an uncertain future in the arms of a biker bad boy.**

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**Warning:****This story contains explicit language, graphic sexual adult content, gang violence, and drug usage. If you DO NOT wish to read any of the named above, then I advise that you not read this story at all.**

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**A/N: First off, I am sorry for the long wait. Honestly, I did not feel like writing at all the first week because my aunt passed away. The second week, writers block attacked me and I had to give myself some time to think about how I was going to gather all of my thoughts and put them onto my computer screen.**

**Secondly, WOW! So many responses/reactions to the last chapter. I want to say THANK YOU! I have been asked several questions and want to answer them right here. I know the story is pretty confusing right now, but I promise that all will straighten out eventually.**

**Q1- Is Catherine going to go through with her plan of vengeance? A- Maybe ;) Lol! We'll see. Thanks!**

**Q2- Where is FSOK? A- I stopped updating it because I had way too much on my plate. I was trying to juggle writing it, my Floggers story, this story, school work/projects/etc, four kids, and a working husband, and I just could not do that. I had posted an Author's Note with FSOK before I deleted the story. Reason for deleting it off my page was because I didn't want to keep an unfinished story on there. I am truly sorry! Thanks!**

**Q3- Why did Catherine have a nightmare about Vincent killing her? A- Because she is becoming slightly paranoid especially after his unannounced visit to her motel room. He caught her off guard, so she dreamt about it lol. I hope that helps? Thanks so much!**

**Q4- Is Catherine going to come clean to Jonas? A- Well, so far, no. She believes that he would never understand her reasoning for being there if she did. But we will find out later on in the story. TY!**

**Q5- Why does Catherine blame him? Was it an accident? A- She's not personally blaming Vincent per se, but she blames the whole MC as a group for her families death. See, in Catherine's mind, she feels like Zach would have never been killed if he had never joined the biker gang. She feels like they pressured him into it rather than him making the choice to do so. Vincent on the other hand, she envies tremendously because of his time with her brother. So her anger towards him goes on a much more deeper level. As far as her mother and father, she feels that if Zach had never joined the Ryders MC, he would not be dead, which ultimately, her mother grieved herself over her son's death, which finished her off and killed her. Then Cat's dad drank away his sorrows because of both his wife's and son's death, and ended up in a car crash. So the hate is very thick in Catherine's heart. Maybe a little too thick for her to see the truth in all of this. But soon enough she will know everything :) **

**As far as Jonas goes, he's going to be in the picture for a little while, so, sorry if that upsets my lovely readers. I really want him in this story, and I do not plan to have him as a bad guy (AT ALL). As far as Vincent not noticing Catherine wearing her brother's jacket/necklace, well, I guess you could say that he's mainly noticing her at the moment ;) But trust me, (SPOILER ALERT) Vincent will notice things later on in the story and Cat WILL come close to blowing her cover A LOT! Hehe! Enjoy!**

**I'm a little off in this chapter, and it's a little shorter than I had planned. I apologize ahead of time for that. Thank you so much for reviewing!**

**Also, would yal like a Pinterest for this fanfic? Let me know in your reviews!**

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_**-Chapter 4—Keep Your Friends Close, Enemies Closer-**_

The motorcycle creeps to a grumbling stop in front of Bernie's Diner downtown Falling Spring and I pull the helmet off of my head, still giggling from the exhilarating ride. Vincent wasn't kidding when he said he liked to go fast. It's exactly how Zach loved to ride, and I guess you could say that I like it, too. The whole ride over from my old childhood home to the diner had brought back several great memories of my brother and I when he would take me out on his Fatboy. I can remember it like it was yesterday. It was my fourteenth birthday and Zach came by to visit and, of course, to take me on my first motorcycle ride.

Everything about it then, and ever since, was truly as if I were flying in mid air. The way the wind would kiss my face, the sweet smell of the open road, and the adrenaline you receive by the way the motor vibrates and purs underneath you had become my safe haven. But there was a slight difference between the last time I had rode with Zach and the now, with Vincent. I couldn't quite put my finger on exactly what that one little detail is, but if I were to be honest, I know that I loved the way my arms wrapped so simply around Vincent's waist the whole ride over. But I don't allow those thoughts to stick around for long.

I hop off the bike, using Vincent as leverage, and hand him his helmet back with a smile. "Damn. It's been ages, it seems like, since I've been on a motorcycle. I almost forgot how great it felt."

He chuckles, killing the engine and kicking down the stand before hopping off the bike as well. He removes his helmet and dangles both in the crook of his elbow. "Glad you enjoyed yourself." he murmurs, opening the door for me. "Ladies first." he adds with a smirk.

_Hmm, a badass with some manners... nice!_

We decide on a booth in the very back of the diner in way of not grasping a lot of attention, or so Vincent says. Can't really say I blame him, though. The guy is VP of West Virginia's most feared MC. A beautiful blonde headed woman approaches us and hands us a menu, as well as sitting down two coffee cups filled to the brim with steaming goodness.

I thank the woman, grabbing the sugar container and pour some into my coffee, trying my damndest to not look up because I feel Vincent's eyes burning holes through me. I blow into the full cup before taking a sip, beginning to feel a little uncomfortable now that we are sitting in an uncomfortable silence.

"So, Erica. Why don't you tell me more about yourself?"

My body stiffens by his question and I finally look up to meet his gaze. _What am I supposed to say? _I know deep down that I can come up with a lie in a heartbeat and make it sound better than eating Chinese take-out, but there is something in his expression that is making me want to tell him the truth. It's as if I don't want to lie to him anymore and I just can't seem to fathom why.

"What do you want to know?" I nearly whisper, shakily, as I prepare myself to answer what feels like a slough of questions heading in my direction.

Our eyes train on the other's for what seems like eternity, merely minutes, before our trance is broken by the waitress. "Ready to orda' darlin's?"

_Shit... I haven't took the time to look at the menu. _

"I'll have your breakfast special. Eggs, sunny side up, thank you." Vincent tells her, but his eyes are set on me as if he is trying to read me like a book.

_Wait a minute... I thought we were having lunch? _Guess they do breakfast 24/7 too.

I swallow hard and glance up at the all-smiles waitress whom looks to have been working here at the old diner for most of her life. "Uhm... I'll just have the french toast. Syrup on the side, please." I mumble, handing the older woman my menu with a genuine smile. She turns to leave and Vincent doesn't waist any time to begin his inquisition.

"Is there a particular reason you moved down south?"

"No, I just thought the change in scenery would do me justice, is all." I practically tell him the same story I told his father, Mike, when he too questioned me on why I moved here.

_Play it cool... Play it safe..._

He nods, taking a sip of his coffee. "Do you have family from 'round here? Or did you leave them back in the Big Apple?"

I sigh, closing my eyes as I try to keep my bearings together for the one question I knew someone would eventually ask. _I guess it just took me by surprise_. I wanted so badly to tell him the truth and that I blamed him and his misfit brethren for why I was in this world alone. But I chose to bite my tongue. "Nope. No family here at all. I'm a... uhm... an only child and both of my parents passed away in a car crash a couple of years ago."

_I am so going to hell for this!_

His expression changes to a more sorrowful look and I immediately regret my answer. I'm not looking to receive remorse from him or any of the Ryders MC for what they've done to me. "I'm sorry. I had no idea." he whispers, looking down at his coffee, which he is nursing in his hands.

I shake my head and take a big gulp of my coffee, welcoming the scolding heat as if it would burn my throat so badly it would keep me from speaking another damn word. My stomach is in knots and I know it's because my mind is fighting with me about lying to him. _But what other choice do I have?_ I know that if I choose to tell him the truth now, all of this would have been for nothing. I would not be able to seek the revenge I sole plainly intend to grant my family for their sudden deaths.

"Does your boyfriend live around here?" he asks, with venom.

"No. He stayed back in New York. We're trying out the long distance thing for now." It wasn't a complete lie, but it was a lie just the same. Jonas has no knowledge of why I am truly here. Vincent presses his lips together, staring at me. "What?" I snap, after a few moments.

He chuckles, shaking his head. "It's just that... Well, uh... can I be honest with you?"

"Totally." I snap, irritated suddenly.

"Well, it's just that I don't see how long distance relationships work out. I mean, how do you know he's not out there being a man?"

"What do you mean?" I hiss.

"What do you think that I mean, Erica?"

I raise my brows, blinking rapidly by his comment as if I've just been slapped across the face. _How dare he question my boyfriends faithfulness to me!_

Before I can say anything in response, the waitress returns with our food. Suddenly, I don't feel like eating. This whole conversation has churned my stomach. I sit back and cross my arms, deciding that it's time to just stop all conversation now rather than to sicken myself even more with his personal questions.

He stabs a piece of sausage with his fork and stuffs it into his mouth, all the while he is _still _staring at me. "You should really eat."

"Seems I've lost my appetite." I snap, not daring to look his way.

_Fucker!_

He sighs and I can hear, rather than see him dropping his fork down onto his plate. Before he can say anything more, I cut him off. "Don't assume you know me, nor how well my relationship may or may not be working out. I know my boyfriend would never do that to me. I've known him a long time, and he's never done anything to hurt me. He loves me, and quite frankly, my love life is none of your business."

He presses his lips together as if observing me for a moment while nodding slowly. "Mmm-hmm." he hums. "Right."

I roll my eyes. "You're an asshole, you know that?" I seethe. "I can't believe you right now. You don't even know me!"

He seems taken aback by my anger, but shakes it off immediately. "I'm sorry." he breathes. "You're right, it's none of my business." and with that, he continues eating while we sit in an awkward silence. I, on the other hand, can't seem to bring myself to eat at all now. I'm fucking fuming! Then it hits me all at once. My self-consciousness begins flooding my brain with doubt in a flash.

_I mean, what if he's right? What if Jonas _is_ cheating on me? _

Maybe I'm just being paranoid due to the fact that it has been a subject brought up to my attention. Maybe I am over-thinking this only because Vincent brought it up. Jonas would _never_ do that to me, and I feel like a part of me is betraying him just by even thinking that he would. Jonas loves me. He would never hurt me.

Abruptly, I stand and head towards the register where I pay for both, mine and Vincent's food—_not really sure why I paid for his, but I did_—before walking outside into the clean country air. I know it's childish of me to pout like an errant child, but I can't help but feel offended by Vincent's remark about my boyfriend. But at the same time, I can't seem to shake the feeling that perhaps there is a possibility that Jonas could very well find somebody else while I'm away.

As heartbreaking as it may be for me, I guess I couldn't blame him. I've refused his presence with me on this trip from the beginning, plus, I've done nothing but avoid communication with him whilst I've been here. Well, not technically avoiding him, but he probably sees it that way. Suddenly, I feel horrible for treating Jonas this way. I really wish that he was here now. But just as quickly as the thoughts appear, they vanish just as fast, when I feel the familiar electric sparks of company standing behind me.

"Look, Erica. I'm sorry for what I said. I went out of line." he says sincerely. I sigh. Finally turning to face him when my eyes narrow onto the bag of food in his hand, and he releases a brief laugh at my reaction. "I thought maybe you would be hungry once this shit blew over. It's your french toast, only this time, it's a fresh order if you want it."

A smile creeps up one corner of my mouth and I blush at how sweet the gesture was. All anger has vanished. "Thanks." I whisper, biting my lip. "I guess I could eat once back at the house."

He nods. "So are we cool?" he asks. "If it makes you feel better, you can ask me anything you want. I promise I'll be completely honest with you, whether I like the question or not."

_Bingo! _

This is my free card to ask the VP of the MC anything my heart desires. And the best part about it is that he has to give an honest answer. _As the saying goes: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. _Well, this particular situation calls for it. I'll have to get close to Vincent in some way in order to get as much info as I need.

I smile as we walk towards his bike, thinking of the many questions that I could ask him. The ride back to the house didn't seem to take no time at all, but I blame my thoughts for swarming with the many things I could ask him, until one particular question keeps coming to mind.

* * *

I throw one of my legs off the bike, removing the helmet, handing it to Vincent, and make my way up onto the porch of the house I once spent my life in, taking a seat on the steps. Vincent soon behind me, sits a step below me, and it isn't until now that I notice he has not one take-out box, but two. "I didn't get to finish mine either, and it was paid for... so." he says as if reading my thoughts as he smiles.

I nod, feeling bad for ruining his lunch as well as mine, but I shrug it off and begin eating. "So why did you join the MC, besides the obvious reason of your father being the president, I mean. Is there a reason that you chose to stay?"

His body stiffens. He's holding his spork in midair, halfway to his mouth. His eyes trail up towards mine and when I finally chance a glance in his direction, I regret asking him this question. His expression shows signs of sadness, yet he's trying to gain an impassive look. He blinks a couple of times, and continues eating with a deep sigh. "I could name several reasons for staying with the MC, but I won't."

"Why not?" I ask before I can stop myself.

He turns his body in my direction, putting his food down onto the porch. "Personal reasons."

I become silent, hoping that he will continue telling me more about his reason. But instead, he picks up his food and continues eating. After moments of being in silence, he finishes his food and walks over to his bike. I want to ask him if he's leaving, but I decide against it and stand to head back inside when my phone rings.

_Shit! _It's Jonas. "Hello?" I nearly squeak into the phone when I notice Vincent has returned with a couple of beer bottles, startling me. He hands me one and I thank him.

"_Who is that you__'__re talking to, Cat_?" Jonas asks softly.

"Uh... erm... Well, he's one of my friends who stopped by for a beer." I murmur, glancing up at Vincent who is gazing at me with the most smoldering golden brown eyes I have ever seen over his beer bottle as he tips it up for a drink. I swallow hard at how hot Vincent looks right now. He's removed his leather jacket, hanging it across the banister that frames the porch and is leaning against one of the wooden poles connected to the banister.

I'm finding it difficult to breathe at this point and no matter how badly I am against feeling this way, I just can't help myself. There is this pull that I can't quite figure out between us and I'm left wondering if he feels it too. It's as if we are magnets, desperate to connect in some way. Granted, I feel as if we've already connected in a friendly way, but with the way my heart is racing and the place between my thighs are clenching, it feels as if the attraction is somewhat more.

I force my gaze away from him, realizing that I'm on the phone with my _boyfriend _Jonas when he begins repeatedly hollering my name.

"_Catherine! Are you there?! Hello_?!"

"Yeah. Sorry about that, Jonas." I murmur, walking back inside the house, away from the close—_very close, in fact—_proximity with Vincent. I thank God that Vincent can't hear my conversation, else he would have heard Jonas call me by my given name. "Listen, I am currently at the house I was raised in and noticed that it was up for sale and—"

"_W__hat? Are you planning on purchasing it_?"

"Well, at first, no. But now that I've looked at the place and saw the poor condition it's in, I really want to fix her up. You know, bring the house to life again." I say walking through the living room again, peeking out of the window at Vincent, who is now smoking a cigarette on the porch.

"_You're not serious, Catherine, are you_?" I sigh at his words and he continues. "_Look, babe. I know you have a lot of memories in that house. But is it even worth it? I mean, what would you do with it once it's renovated_?"

"Maybe keep it? I don't know, Jonas. It's complicated right now. I just hate seeing the place like it is. I'd never forgive myself if I just walked away from it. I really want to do this. It would mean so much to my mother if she was here, and I know if she knew the condition it's in now, she would turn in her grave." I say, making my way back outside. Jonas sighs, exasperated.

"_Alright. If that will make you happy, then I guess I could transfer some funds over to your account to help out with it. That is, if you are truly sure, Cat._"

"It would mean the world to me. But don't worry about funds. I have plenty." I sigh.

_Oh Jesus... Vincent is staring at me again... With those fuck-me eyes! UGH! _I turn my back on Vincent when Jonas begins speaking again. "_Catherine, do you even have the time to renovate it before you come back_?"

Well, I never really thought of that, but I guess Jonas is right. He may not know the full situation at hand right now, but the place is in pretty shitty condition. It may even be a month before the whole house is completed. But it's not like I can talk to him about that now. I'll blow my cover in front of Vincent.

"We'll talk about this later. But for now, just know that I love you and I will call you later tonight. 'Kay?"

He sighs and I know he's getting upset that I'm hopping off the phone again. "_You know what? I'm coming down there __next__ weekend. __I think I'd like to see this house of yours. And__ I won't take no for an answer this time, Cat. Love you_." and with that, the line goes dead.

_Oh no! What am I going to do now? _

Jonas is planning on coming down here and that could blow this whole mission out of proportion. All hell is more than likely going to break loose and it just so happens that I'm right in the middle of the hell hounds' doghouse. Now I have only one week to convince Jonas not to come at all, else, I'm going to have to hide out with him until he plans to leave.

_Fuck! _This is all messed up. _What am I going to do?_

"Well, Erica." Vincent breaks me from my thoughts. "Duty calls, so I gotta' run. But hopefully we can pick this back up again soon. I like talking to you, even when you're mad. You actually look pretty adorable when you're angry." he chuckles when I gasp at his comment.

"How charming. I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Suddenly, I begin laughing.

He joins in the laughter for a brief moment, then suddenly he becomes serious, gazing into my eyes. "Until next time, Erica." he mutters, grasping my hand, and slipping a thick folded paper into it as he tugs to pull me closer to him. He shocks me, mentally and physically, and kisses my cheek. Spinning around, he strides toward his Harley, leaving me speechless without saying another word to me as he rumbles off into the direction of the sun.

I finally open my hand and look into my palm to find a piece of torn white paper wrapped around some cash. There is a note written inside along with his cell number at the end of it. The note reads:

"_What kind of man would I be if I allowed you to buy our meal? Thanks for lunch.—V"_

I look back up in the direction that he took off in and I can feel the corners of my mouth lift.

_I think I've found a friend, rather than an enemy... _and honestly, that fact scares me.

* * *

_****Well, well, well. I believe we all now know that Vincent has discovered Catherine's (Erica's) boyfriend's name :) The next question is, how are things going to turn out with Jonas coming in to see Catherine? Or will he even go to her? I guess we will find out soon. I know this chapter wasn't much of anything, but I couldn't grasp my thoughts like I had wanted to. I needed to get this out before I lost my sanity lol. Next chapter should be up in a week, so keep your eyes peeled lol. For those who want a little insight for what I plan for Chapter 5, things are going to become heated (not in that way... yet hehe) in the club. Things are about to spiral out of control for everyone in the club. Some more secrets will be revealed on Vincent and Catherine will nearly risk her cover once it's all said and done. I may have to stop writing in POV though, in hopes that it will help me write this story better lol. Idk yet. I'll think about. In the end, I just hope you stick with me lol. Thanks so much!**_


	6. Ch 5 - Mind Games

**Disclaimer:**** Although I own the rights to this story, I do not own BATB or it's characters.**

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**Summary:**** (AU) – Catherine**** Chandler lost her brother, Zach, to The Ryders MC biker club as a young child. All grown up, she is New York's favorite undercover officer and PI. Once she takes her vacation, her work doesn't stop there. She returns to Falling Spring, West Virginia where it all began, to exact revenge on the biker gang. What she doesn't bargain for is Vincent, also known as Beast—the newly-elected vice-president of the gang and Zach's best friend. When Catherine and Vincent come face-to-face, the sparks are immediate, and Catherine finds herself torn between exacting vengeance for her shattered past, and an uncertain future in the arms of a biker bad boy.**

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**Warning:****This story contains explicit language, graphic sexual adult content, gang violence, and drug usage. If you DO NOT wish to read any of the named above, then I advise that you not read this story at all.**

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**A/N: Thank you all for the awesome reviews. I truly appreciate them, whole heartedly! **

**I don't want to go too fast like I normally do in my other stories with putting these two together within the first 7 chapters lol. But I do want to play with VinCat a little along the way of them finally being together ;) **

**Remember, this story is sort of dark in that ridiculous biker club way, and all characters are OOC (out of character). So, that being said, keep in mind that Vincent and Catherine are NOT together yet. I want this story to feel real. I want YOU as my readers to feel the same emotions as what is being felt in the depths of the story. You all have been my best fans, and I truly am honored to write for such wonderful people. **

**I know not many like the idea of Jonas, and then a lot of you do. I personally love his character because he reminds me of a friend I have in my life, which is why I used him in this story. He is not going to be a bad guy/villain in this story, at all. But he and Catherine are not made for each other, at all. They may love the idea of forever loving each other, but we all know who Catherine is meant to be with, and I promise, we will get there. And besides, I have somebody planned for Jonas' happily ever after, too. So he will not get the short hand of the stick. He's just... there.**

**Again, thank you all, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter. A bit of a time jump, but not by much. And please excuse any errors. XOXO!**

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_**-Chapter 5—Mind Games-**_

As days have passed, I await for the news that I officially own the old Chandler residence. Ken Sparks, the realtor, was a hard person to crack. But after pointing out each and every crack in the wall, stained ceilings, and broken window, he finally sold the house to me for 15,000. I know, it's still a pretty high price in a lot of people's eyes, but for me, that's nothing considering my salary. Most may think that what I do does not provide a life of luxury. But if you count the side jobs of going undercover for the FBI and risking my life at full force to take down the world's most vicious criminals and terrorists, then, give or take, I receive a paycheck of around ten grand each mission. It's a sucky job, but has an amazing pay.

Granted, Jonas stood by his word and transferred a high amount of money into my bank account, but I think that I want to do this on my own rather than receive help. Not saying that I'm not grateful for what my boyfriend is trying to do, but I just can't accept the offer.

Speaking of Jonas, I'm still fighting him on coming down here. It's not that I don't want him to be here with me, to meet old friends and new acquaintances, but I am not here as Catherine Chandler. I'm Erica Barker for the time being and I just can't risk getting caught, red handed, and blow my cover for him. I wanted to avoid telling him the real reason why I'm in Falling Spring because I have this feeling that if I do, he will never speak to me again.

_But what other options do I have? _

It's not like I can keep him cooped up in the hotel room day in and day out, although, that does sound very tempting, if you know what I mean. But then he would become suspicious and start questioning me as to why we are not out site seeing. Then there is the option of him not coming down here at all. But he's relentless and pushy and he just won't take no for a damn answer. Jonas is more than likely going to come down here no matter what I choose to do.

I guess it's option one. Tell him why I'm here.

But that will lead to even more questions as to how all of this involves me, which will then lead to my brother's death; something that I've not talked too much about with Jonas the entire three years we've been together. As far as he knows, Zach was murdered randomly, which isn't exactly a lie, it's just the truth without details. He doesn't know about the Ryders MC. He doesn't know that my brother was one of their very valuable prospects. He doesn't know that they are the reason behind his death. Nothing!

And I don't know if I'm ready to share all of that with Jonas just yet.

I sigh, picking up my phone to attempt another try on pleading with my lover about why he shouldn't come down here.

"Jonas, please. You're being ridiculous. I don't need this right now. It's stressful. Can't you accept that I just want some much needed alone time right now? Can you not give me that for my sake and my sanity?"

He growls, and I can see it now; Jonas is more than likely pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "_Come on, babe. Com-mu-ni-ca-tion. It's one of many keys in most relationships and what helps them build to something great. Just tell me what is so bad about me joining the love of my life in her hometown? Why do you need your space? I thought we were doing great._"

I sigh. _Jesus, I swear this man kills me sometimes. "_We spend a lot of time together when I'm there. I pretty much live with you. I just want to enjoy this one vacation without taking any parts of New York with me. It's nothing personal, Jonas, I just want some time for myself."

"_I can't help but feel like you're hiding something from me, Catherine. And I don't like the feeling one bit."_

"I'm not." I lie. _If only you knew..._

"_Fine. Whatever. Have fun." _he sighs, heavily. "_I gotta go, though. I have a meeting this morning with the precinct. We've a killer on the loose, so I'm going to be pretty busy anyways, I suppose. I'll talk to you later."_

I scoff when he hangs up without another word. No I'll miss you. No I love you. No take care of yourself, or be careful. Nothing.

I roll my eyes, tossing my phone onto the bed as I make my way into the bathroom to shower and change into my disguise. I can't believe Jonas is upset because I told him he can't come down here with me. He fully understood before I left. I wonder what made him change his mind, then sigh. I hate lying to him, but it protects us both from the gang of killers that are amongst us here in the little small town of Falling Spring.

He will just have to get over it, and stop acting this way. I tell myself that I will call him later and let him know that, too. Once showered, I put on my make-up, wig, and contacts are inserted into my eyes. I put on my plain black pantie and bra set then exit back into the main part of the motel room where I've laid out my attire for when I go to the club tonight. Starting with my thin leather leggins, I pull them up then make work on putting on a dark gray cami, and my work shirt on over it. I move the wig around on my head to make sure its not going to fall off considering I purchased wig glue, then pin it up into a messy bun with several loose tendrils falling down. I tuck some of it behind my ears.

Slipping my feet into a pair of black pumps, I grab my phone and keys, taking off into the warm air. What I see waiting for me, leaning against my truck, is the smirking beautiful face of Vincent Keller.

"Need a ride?" he asks, pushing himself off my truck and stalking towards me with that beautiful straight pearly white toothed grin plastered on his face as if he's up to no good. My body is a traitor because my insides clench by the sight of him.

He's in a pair of dark faded blue jeans with one single shredded slit at his left knee, and they are hanging erotically on his hips. His un-tucked black short sleeved T-shirt stretches over his torso deliciously showing off those sexy washboard abs. I also notice a tattoo barely peeking out from under his left sleeve. It makes me want to take his shirt off and gaze at it all day.

His eyes are bright, mahogany mixed with a light amber, full of danger. His hair is tousled as if he's been running his hands through it all day, and dangling in that panty-dropping way over his right brow. My mouth is watering, for I have to swallow nearly three times in a row. _But who's counting?_

_I __can't be thinking this way dammit! I have an effin boyfriend! Jonas... Jonas... Jonas..._

Crossing my arms, I put on my most sarcastic face on. "Yup." I say, popping the 'P' at the end of the word. "I believe my instincts were right."

He chuckles from deep within his throat, taking a few steps closer to where I'm standing. "And what is that, exactly? Your _instincts._"

"That you are a stalker. But not just _any_ stalker... you're the type whom _enjoys_ stalking."

"I believe you may be right." he laughs, and the sound is truly beautiful. Suddenly, his expression becomes completely serious, and I gasp at how much closer he is to me. The proximity alone is enough to force me to faint, and honestly, I've never felt this way before around anyone. And believe me, I've been around a lot of people in the line of work and not one human being has ever intimidated me the way Vincent Keller's presence has. "Maybe it's because of the victim."

I can't believe he just said that. "My, my, Mr. Keller. Are you trying to flirt with me?" _What the hell? Did I really just ask him that?_

He smiles, shaking his head as if to keep himself from laughing. "Seriously. Wanna ride?"

"Excuse me?"

"Do you. Want to ride. On my Fatboy?" he says it more slowly, yet deeply with that smooth baritone voice he has.

I blush at how dirty that sounded just then. Or maybe it's just my mind making it seem a hellava lot dirtier than it really is. _Yup, leave it to Catherine Chandler to take something like that pervertedly._ I swallow hard as his eyes fall down to my lips, trailing back up into mine. Suddenly, I feel as if we are lost communicating within our souls. Trading silent words back and forth through our gazes.

I finally snap out of the trance, feeling instantly dizzy from the awkward moment we just shared, and pat my phone onto my palm when it begins ringing. _Thank God! _"Hello?" I answer the call, practically squeaking, putting up my index finger to Vincent in way of telling him to give me a minute as I walk over towards my truck.

"_Miss Barker, hi. Ken speaking. I was wondering if perhaps you could come by my office so that I could get a couple more signatures from you and to hand over the deed and keys to the house._"

"Wait. What?" I murmur, pinching the bridge of my nose as I glance over my shoulder to Vincent, who is now leaning on his motorcycle with crossed arms, gazing at me. I turn my head back to where I'm facing my truck again and wait for Ken to continue speaking. He chuckles.

"_Well, the house is now yours, Miss Barker. If I would have guessed, I would have thought that you would have sounded more thrilled about the news._"

"Yes. Yes, of course. Thank you, Ken. Uhm... perhaps I can meet you tomorrow instead? I have to work tonight and I'm pretty sure that your office will not be open around two in the morning."

"_Well, of course, you would be right. Tomorrow it is, then. Congratulations, Miss Barker._"

I give him my thanks again, and finally hang up, leaning back against the truck with the biggest idiotic smile on my face. _The house is officially mine! HELL YES!_

"Ahem." The sound of a clearing of throat brings me back to the here and now, realizing that Vincent is still standing close by. "Whoever that was, sure did make you one happy woman. The boyfriend, I pressume?" he adds, leaning onto my truck about three feet away from me.

"Yes and no. Yes, I'm pretty thrilled right about now because I got the house... _officially_. And no, because that was definitely _not_ my boyfriend. I..." I trail off, thinking about how upset Jonas was earlier when we last spoke. I sigh, rolling my eyes and I open the door to my truck, climbing in.

"So no ride?" he asks.

"No, thank you. I think the drive will give me time to think before throwing myself into the lion's den."

"Ouch." he nods.

I giggle. "No offense."

"None taken, Erica."

We stay like this for what seems like an eternity, merely minutes, just gazing at each other. I pull myself out of it, sighing heavily, as I start my truck up. "I'll see you there. Thanks for lunch the other day, by the way. You really didn't have to pay me back."

"Oh, but I did have to. Trust me. Unfortunately, I won't be around much tonight at the club. Got business to take care of." he yells the last part over his shoulder as he walks over towards his bike. He throws a leg over, and puts his helmet on, his eyes glued to me, and within seconds, he starts his motorcycle and takes off.

I sigh, pulling out of the motel parking lot, heading towards Katz.

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When I finally arrive, moments later, I grab my brother's old switchblade knife that he gave to me as sort of a good luck charm—_okay, it's mostly something for protection_—before he died. I press the button and the blade fiercely pops out. I've never really had to use it before, so it's sharp as a razor. The three inch solid steel blade still even has my brother's initial's engraved into it, even after all of these years of being tucked away in my purse.

I sigh, pushing the blade back to being invisible and shove it into my back pocket as I slide out of the high sitting truck. Since I'm not exactly able to carry my gun inside, I decided that the switchblade is small enough to fit into my pocket. Besides, a girl's gotta protect herself somehow when surrounded by a room full of outlaws.

But if I were to be honest, I'm actually looking forward to working tonight. I truly enjoy JT and Tess' company and I totally can't wait to tell Tess about the house. Perhaps she can come by and help me with a few things. It would give me someone to talk to while I work on the place, well, an extra pair of hands wouldn't hurt, either. I don't know what it is though, but I feel like I've known the woman my entire life. She's just so sweet and caring and, of course... a motor mouth. And what do cops like more than anything? Information. And as bad as it sounds, I need as much as I can get from her about these heartless criminals.

Striding towards the bar, I instantly see my two new acquaintances and smile, grabbing a tray, notepad and pen, only I tuck the pen behind my ear. "Hey guys." I mutter with a smile, tying on my apron. Glancing around the crowded bar, I sigh as I continue. "Rough night?"

Tess nods, whereas JT rolls his eyes. "Damn right. You've got tables 3, 4, 7, and 9 tonight, Erica. Good luck. You're gonna need it."

I sigh again, releasing a growl with it as I turn to face the patrons. I notice Tori is sitting in one of the bikers' laps again, only for her, she's decided on a new flavor of the week. I don't recognize the man at all, but he's sure as hell studying me. He's got a black leather bandana wrapped on top of his head, covering the top portion of his shoulder length gray hair. He looks to be in his mid-fifties, early sixties. Green eyes and a long well-kept gray beard hanging to about chest length.

His black leather kutte tells me he's not a part of the Ryders MC, but holds a patch of representation of another biker gang. He's wearing some sort of ring on each of his fingers. Black T-shirt and light faded blue jeans with black steel-toe boots. I fix my gaze back onto what my priority is, which is table number three, but when I walk past him to get to my first table, he grabs me in the bend of my right arm, pulling me down onto his lap, causing me to drop my tray. I didn't even realize that Tori had already walked over to another table, flirting, until I landed on top of grandpa's lap.

"Don't think I've ever seen ya' n' herr before, lil' lady." He gives my body an up and down look, and all I can think of is how badly I want to drive this damn pencil that's resting behind my ear through his fucking skull. He growls from deep within his chest, chuckling, as he continues. "I think I'd remember ya' if I did."

"How charming." I say in my most sarcastic tone before rolling my eyes and getting out of his lap. He smacks my ass, hard, and I'm forced to close my eyes and count backwards from ten. _Why did I agree to do this __job__? _

The man continues laughing as he yells for Mike, whom came out of nowhere. "Yo' Mike! You got ya' self a keeper herr. Nice little ass she has, too..." his voice trails off as I finally make my way over to my first table. I take their orders and rush back to the bar, only to have my ass slapped again. Only this time, it's not the ZZ Top wanna-be, it's Danny... again. _Ugh!_

Again, I count backwards from ten and take deep breaths to calm myself before I slam one of these bastards into the floor. Angry tears sting my eyes and I blink them back as I finally approach JT, laying down my order.

"Don't even think about it." he murmurs, raising both of his brows as his arms fold in front of his chest. He sighs, shaking his head. "I know what you're thinkin' and I'ma tellin' you, do not even think about it. Mike'll have your ass if you even try flicking the bastard. Just try to think of happy thoughts. Ya' know. Rainbows and unicorns... and stuff you girls think 'bout."

I raise a brow, narrowing my eyes at what he just said to me. "Rainbows and unicorns, JT? Really? What are you, a hippie? I know the rules. I promise, I will keep it professional, okay?" He tries to stifle a laugh, nodding his head in way of responding and I roll my eyes. "You know what? Fuck you, JT. Fuck. You!" and with that I spin on my heels to head towards my second table as JT bursts into a fit of laughter behind me.

* * *

By the end of my shift, Tess, JT, and I are all sitting at one of the tables, all alone since the MC are in the middle of 'church' and the strippers are probably waiting in the back to be called upon by the bikers for some 'down time'. We're celebrating the fact that I now own the old Chandler residence. Tess and JT have agreed to help me out with the renovations and we plan to meet up on Friday at the house to start the process, considering the club is not going to be open. But I also cringe at the fact that I still have to survive two more days at the club before getting a break from it all.

_Church. _The fact that they call their club meetings 'Going to Church' seems a little odd to me. But I guess it's whatever floats their boat, I suppose. I'm not going to say anything about it.

Throughout my night, I have been hit on... numerous times by the young and the old, some even old enough to be my grandfather. I've had my ass slapped, my body ogled, and alcohol spilt on my clothes trying to break up a few cat fights between 'club whores' as the MC calls them. Honestly, that little portion of information kind of made things a little more clearer as to why my ass has become a door knob.

Every member in the MC—_well, maybe not all of them_—consider any woman employed under the roof of their club, are only there to be given the opportunity to climb into bed with one of the many Ryders MC members. Makes sense in that ridiculous, desperate way, but I'm not one of them, and Tess is sure as hell not, either. No one messes with her, and I have no idea why. So, I do what I normally do and ask her why she's able to get through the shifts here at Katz.

"Look, Erica. The only reason nobody tries to claim me is pretty simple. I'm already spoken for. I'm JT's Old Lady. They all know better than to try to hook up with me."

I'm still confused. "Old Lady? I've heard that term used quite a bit, and I still don't fully understand it. It just sounds so, I don't, weird?" I giggle. Tess smiles, bringing her beer bottle up to her lips.

"Nah. Being an Old Lady means gaining power. We're not left out in the dark because we know everything going on with the gang. It's like marriage, only without the paperwork. To become an Old Lady, means you become your man's_ property, _and he is yours." she wags her eyebrows with a smile. JT rolls his eyes and I laugh. "All it comes down to is trust. You have to give all of your trust to your man... completely. He will protect you the same way he would protect his brothers. You become family to the MC."

I force a smile on that last statement. Honestly, I don't really know what to say. My thoughts instantly go to Zach and his death. _If that were actually true, that they protect their brothers in the MC, then why is _my_ brother dead?_

"I think I'm going to call it a night, guys. Mike gave me an early shift tomorrow and I have to be here by nine in the morning." I finally say after a long awkward silence.

Tess smiles and JT nods, his lips pressed into a fine line as he tips his beer bottle up to his lips. "See ya' in the mornin' Erica. I'll be here to show you how the mornin's work 'round here." JT says after sipping his beer.

I nod, playing with my car keys in my hands. I realize that I haven't seen Vincent since I arrived to work, and I feel a ping of disappointment because of it. I mean, I know he said that I wouldn't really see him tonight, but a part of me was hoping that I would. I can't really explain it, but it seems like I can't get enough time around him. There is something about him that drawls me towards him; like a moth to a flame. Never have I ever felt that way towards Jonas, and honestly, I can't explain why.

Jonas is truly a nice guy. Warm hearted. Loving. Kind and gentle. Vincent, though, is the complete oppisite. Granted, he's kind and nice, too. But for the most part, he's a biker bad boy. Dangerous and daring. Maybe that is why I'm so drawn to him? His rugged, bad boy sexy looks doesn't help, either. Then again, I could just be more connected with him because we shared the same type of love for my brother. Brotherly love.

_But what can I really do about it? And why does it even matter __to me __anyways?_ He's the MC's VP. He's the enemy... at least I keep telling myself that.

Finally with a sigh, I stand, pushing my chair under the table as I head for the door. But suddenly, I feel this pull coming from behind me, followed by a jolt of electricity that sends delicious shivers up my spine. I know who it is without turning around to see him. It's Vincent. "Hey, wait up." he says with a chuckle. "You in a hurry or something?"

"Or something." I giggle as I turn around to face him. "Gotta check on my boyfriend and get to bed. Turns out that I have a curfew tonight because Mike has placed me on the schedule for an early morning shift." I add, batting my eyes. Instantly, my face falls when I realize that I'm flirting with him. _I'm actually flirting with the guy... Oh, sweet Lord! _I think I need my brain checked.

He laughs so hard that his head tilts back, giving me an awesome view of his neck. _Did you know that his adam's apple bobs when he laughs? Did you know that that gesture is extremely ho... _

_No! No! NO! Stop this Catherine!_

"Well, I suppose that I'll be going now." I mutter once he composes himself from laughing. "Goodnight, Vincent." I smile.

"Night, Erica. Thanks for the laugh. God knows I needed it. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, for sure." His smile fades at his last statement and I instantly wonder what he meant by that. But, with how tired I am, I shake myself of the thoughts and head to my truck. But oddly, I don't get in right away. Instead, I watch as the last three MC members, including Vincent, stride casually to their bikes, all with cigarettes in hand and I sigh.

Vincent truly is a beautiful man. He's definitely charming. Smart. Easy going and down to Earth. The man is called Beast, for reasons unknown to me. _But if he was so beastly, then why do I since that he has a huge heart? Why does he make me second guess him as the enemy?_ It's not like he's trying or anything. He doesn't even know why I'm here.

Once the last of the bikers are gone and the parking lot is empty besides one vehicle, which I assume is Tess and JT's, I finally hop into my truck. But the second my ass contacts with the seat, I glance up towards my passenger seat to find that I'm not alone.

I can't move. I can't think. My eyes are wide with fear and my blood is pumping viciously through my veins. My mouth gapes open and my breathing intensifies. _What the hell is going on? And who the hell is in my fucking truck?! _

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm with the Falling Spring Police Department. My name is Detective Henry Knox and I've been watching you since you arrived."

My eyes narrow by his choice of words and I glance towards my glove box which has my gun safely stored in it. When I look back up at him, he shows me his badge then nods his head towards the ignition, in way of telling me to drive. I start my truck and yank the gear into reverse, but I pause. "What does any of that information mean to me. That you're a cop? That still doesn't give you the right to break into my truck and wait for me to come out of the club, or stalk me for that matter."

"Catherine." _Wait, what?!_ "We really need to talk. I, too, work for the FBI and I could really use your help. Can we please go somewhere more private? Away from the MC, hmm?" he says, motioning for me to continue driving. I think I'm still in shock that he knows who I really am. But regardless, I nod my head and pull out of the parking lot and head towards my motel room.

* * *

_****So, Catherine seems to be in a mess now. What do you think are Detective Knox's true intentions? Find out soon in the next installment of Ryders MC. Please post your thoughts in your reviews. It truly helps to see where my readers are in the story. Thank you all for your patience. I didn't do as much in this chapter as I had mentioned in my last Author's Note in my last chapter, but I will come next chapter. I hope you all are not getting bored yet lol. I'm trying to prolong the way VinCat get together, so I hope you all are okay with that? Again, thanks for your awesome support! Until next time! XOXO****_


	7. Ch 6 - Family Reunion

**Disclaimer:**** Although I own the rights to this story, I do not own BATB or it's characters.**

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**Summary:**** (AU) – Catherine**** Chandler lost her brother, Zach, to The Ryders MC biker club as a young child. All grown up, she is New York's favorite undercover officer and PI. Once she takes her vacation, her work doesn't stop there. She returns to Falling Spring, West Virginia where it all began, to exact revenge on the biker gang. What she doesn't bargain for is Vincent, also known as Beast—the newly-elected vice-president of the gang and Zach's best friend. When Catherine and Vincent come face-to-face, the sparks are immediate, and Catherine finds herself torn between exacting vengeance for her shattered past, and an uncertain future in the arms of a biker bad boy.**

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**Warning:****This story contains explicit language, graphic sexual adult content, gang violence, and drug usage. If you DO NOT wish to read any of the named above, then I advise that you not read this story at all.**

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**A/N: Sorry for the loooong wait. Have been crowded in my real life lately and haven't had the time to write. Hehe! I know that we are still experiencing issues with the whole relationship status between Jonas and Catherine, but again, I tell you that they WILL NOT last very long. As far as VinCat go... the story has just begun and we have a lot of different plots to throw into the story before we work on VinCat's relationship. I have started putting together a Pinterest Board for this story. Please check it out if you haven't. If you need the link, I've already posted it on my Facebook page (Tiffany Nida) I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thanks so much for reading!**

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_**-Chapter 6—Family Reunion-**_

"Start talking, because I don't have time for bullshit." I snap with a sigh, slamming a tumbler of scotch onto the table in front of an angry glaring Agent Knox. Before coming to my lovely small smelly motel room, I made a stop for the ABC Store to pick up a bottle of liquor because I knew the conversation I was about to share with Knox would really require me to consume quite a bit of alcohol.

Peeking out of the white and yellow stained floor to ceiling blinds, I make sure that we weren't followed back to the motel. If any of the MC had followed me—_specifically my lovely stalker, Vincent Keller—_then I'm pretty sure that shit would hit the fan from there.

I take a seat in front of Knox, nursing my own glass of scotch after taking a hefty drink of it. He remains mute, staring at me as he fidgets with some imaginary lint on his pants. I sigh, exasperated as I push my chair back, standing as I rip off my wig, tossing it to the bed. "If you're not going to tell me what's going on, or how you figured out who I am, then I'm sure you can find your way out. I'm tired and have a job to tend to in the morning. So, again, if you're—"

"Why are you here, Miss Chandler?" he asks, taking a delicate sip of his drink. His expression feigns several emotions at the moment and I'm finding it hard to read him. _Well if he's anything like you, Chandler, he's trained __to remain impassive. _But he's not fully unreadable. The anxiousness in his movements tell me he's quite nervous.

I knit my brows together as I glare at my visitor. "To be quite honest, I think that it's none of your business, Mr. Knox." I turn my head back towards the barely parted blind in front of the window as I sigh and take a sip of my drink then shrug. "But if you must know, I'm here on vacation. Figured it was time to come back to this hell hole of a place called Falling Spring, West Virginia. It beats the loud voices of exasperated neighbors arguing with their spouses and the shrilling cries of 24/7 sirens back in the city."

"You're lying." he deadpans and I jolt my head in his direction, slinging daggers with my eyes at him. "I don't want any of your lies, Catherine. I'm not the enemy here. So..." he leans back into his chair, throwing his feet up onto my tiny table. "Let's try this again."

I snort a laugh. "Seriously? _You're_ interrogating _me_ right now? I think that it's time that you leave, Agent Knox. I haven't committed any crimes and I sure as hell know my rights. So if you're about finis—"

"You're an Agent for the feds, just like myself. You're in _my _territory, out of the blue, working undercover around a MC that I've been investigating _for years _and I have to wonder why." He stands and stalks towards me, but I stand my ground and hold my head up high. If he thinks for one second that he intimidates me in any way, shape or form, he's deadly mistaken. "This town is extremely small, so, you showing up suddenly was not exactly difficult to be known. People talk, Miss Chandler."

"Catherine, please."

"Catherine." he nods with a chuckle, then sighs. "At first, I thought my boss had sent you down here to take over my case but I soon figured out that that was definitely not the case at all. You see, if it were, they would have notified me before you arrived so that I could prepare you on the case I am currently working on involving the drug cartels that are associated with the Ryders."

I swallow hard. I mean, I kind of knew that the motorcycle gang was into drugs, but hearing it come out of Knox's mouth makes it more realistic.

"The real question, though," he continues, sitting back down and crossing his arms over his chest, "is why are you _really _here undercover _if _you are supposedly on vacation from the precinct you're currently working at in New York? Why are you working right under the noses of the vicious monsters that I've been working on years of trying to place behind bars? None of it makes sense to me."

I slump down into my chairs, not really knowing what to really say at this point. This Agent is really good at what he does. Perhaps, even, better than myself. I sigh, shaking my head as I pour myself another, yet, much fuller glass of alcohol before chugging the whole thing in one whack. I slam my glass down and head over to my nightstand, pulling out my brothers most prized possession... _his necklace._

Returning to the Agent, I place the broken chain with a heavy cross down on the table and slide over to him. He looks at it, then back up at me, picking up the sterling silver charm. "I'm here, Agent Knox, because I want justice for my brothers death." I pause, pulling a photo out of my wallet and sliding it too across the table to Knox. The photo is of my brother and he's standing beside his bike with the biggest smile on his face. "And I'm not leaving until every last one of them rots in the pits of hell for the pain and suffering they have caused me."

My words caused even myself to wince with the thought of possibly killing Vincent. But I can't lose my train of thought over some sort of attraction with one of the members. One of the members whom will be the leader of the pack, very soon.

Agent Knox nods as if he understands my pain, then his mouth splits into a wide smile as he places the photo back onto the table. "Well, Miss Chandler, I believe you have just made yourself an alliance." he chuckles, standing up and holding out his hand to me. "Looks like we're both ready to take down the same people. And I believe that I can help you fulfill results of which you seek during your visit."

I tilt my head to the side, narrowing my eyes at him."I thought you wanted to put them behind bars?" I murmur with a grin.

"I do. But... I just think it would be better for all of us, including the innocent citizens of Falling Spring if the Ryders MC just up and _disappeared _without a trace, don't you think?."

I think about my brother and what I've been through over the years since his death, then I smile, slapping my hand into his as we shake. "You have yourself a deal, then, Agent Knox."

He nods, releasing my hand. "And no worries. You're cover is safe with me. But, I'm afraid I must take my leave. We will talk very soon about the details, so do be expecting a phone call from me in the next couple of days, Miss Chandler. Until then, please be careful around these animals." he says with a sadistic smile, and I honestly have to say that it kind of freaked me out a little the way he said we would talk again. I nod anyways and force a smile. Something tells me that there is something very off with Knox. Once he leaves—_although, I have no idea how he left here in the first place considering I drove him here_—I finally shower and make it to bed.

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Come morning, I wake up feeling more tired than when I first came to Falling Spring and I groan as I roll my eyes, getting out of the bed. I rummage through my luggage and grab a gray tank and a purple, black, and white plaid short sleeve button up shirt with a pair of denim cut off shorts. On the way to the bathroom to change, I find my wig—_which I plan to dye my hair so I can finally get rid of the damn thing—_and a pair of black cowboy boots and take them to the bathroom with me. Once dressed, I pin my hair—_well, wig—_into a high ponytail and put my contacts in before applying light make-up.

I grab the photo of my brother and his necklace and place both into my pockets; the necklace into my front right pocket and the photo in my back left pocket, not even taking the time to place both back into my night stand. Grabbing my keys and phone, I make my way out to my truck when my phone begins ringing. It's Ken. "Shit!... Hello?"

"Ah, Miss Barker. How are you this lovely morning?"

_Why the hell are you calling me at seven in the morning?! _"I just started the day, actually. Heading to work as we speak."

"Oh, so does that mean that we won't be meeting this morning to go over the paperwork for the house?"

_Dammit! I totally forgot. _I pinch the bridge of my nose, glancing at my phone again for the time. _It's 7:45. Perhaps, I could meet him now then head to work straight after... _"Uhm, well, I kind of forgot that I had to work so early this morning when I made plans to meet with you. Any way we can meet, like, right now? At the house, of course. I won't be able to make it to your office, with having to clock in by nine."

He sighs, and I know he's probably cursing me out in his mind, but... "Of course. I'll be there in about thirty minutes. It's a good thing you caught me whilst I was nearby Falling Spring." _Caught him? Wasn't he the one who called me?_

"Thank you. I'll be waiting." _Click! _I didn't wait for him to say anything more. I simply hung up and climbed into my truck, taking off in the direction of _my _new house.

Turns out I didn't have to wait long before Ken pulls up into the driveway behind me. I get out of the truck and sign some extra paperwork before being handed the deed and the keys. Without another word, Mr. Sparks gets back into his car and speeds off towards the highway. I, on the other hand, stand there and stare at the keys inside of my hand.

I can't believe the house is finally mine.

* * *

The parking lot at Katz consists of several motorcycles and two cars. I grab my phone and keys, including the new house keys I picked up this morning on the way to work, and hop out of the truck, making my way inside where I instantly see JT cleaning the draft machine while whistling. "Oh, hey, Erica. You're a 'lil early." he smiles. JT has relaxed some since I've first met him.

I smile back and, on instinct, I grab my apron. "Better early, than late."

"And you'd be right. Mike can't stand late comers." We laugh, and JT washes his hands. "Okay. So, usually when ya' come in for an early shift, Mike expects ya' to do the following: Clean up the VIP lounge without wakin' anyone up. I hope you can cook, because, ya' gotta make 'em breakfast..." _Wait, there's a kitchen in here? _"...make fresh coffee. And proceed with cleanin' up the booths and tables out here. It's that simple. Once you're done, you can leave because you're not goin' to be needed durin' Church. Got it?"

I nod, sighing heavily. JT pats my back and I give him a sarcastic bat of my eyes with a smile. He hands me a few rags... yes, a few, not one... and I tuck them into the pocket of my apron. "So, how am I supposed to make them breakfast? I didn't even know that there were a kitchen here."

"Ha! Yup. It's back there in the VIP lounge where all of the partyin' takes place for the members of the MC." he chuckles and I roll my eyes with a giggle. But before I can go through the door, he calls for me and when I turn to face him, he tosses a set of keys at me. Luckily, I catch them. "Jus' for a heads-up, I will warn you that behind that door, it's not a real pretty sight. When they party, they play it hard. So try to overlook their savage behavior. The door stays locked. The Brinks key with a red cover on it will open it. Good luck, Erica."

I sigh as I open the door and gasp at the sight in front of me. Men and women—MC members and strippers—are all over the place. Some of the women are buck-ass naked as well as some of the men. I groan in disgust whilst JT bursts into a fit of laughter behind me and all I manage to do without waking a damn soul in this room is raise my middle finger at him before entering.

"Trust me, darlin', if you think this is bad, you should stick 'round tonight for Lipstick Hour." he chuckles.

I shake my with a smile. "I don't think I want to know. Thanks anyway."

Closing the door behind me, I step over a few of the sleeping bodies in the floor, picking up empty bottles of beer, whiskey, and other various alcohol beverage containers along my path. A few times I have to pause what I'm doing because I fear that I may have woke someone up due to the clinking noise of glass bottles. Thankfully, it's all just a scare. But the part I regret most about this shift, is how I've had to dispose a large quantity of used condoms laying around the room in various places. _Gross__!_

By the time I've finally finished cleaning up, I'm ready to soak in a tub full of Ajax. Never in my life have I ever seen such disgusting living conditions. _Ever_. And did I mention that JT is an asshole? _Oh my God! _He came into the room at least four different times to check in with me, each time he was in tears. Not the type of tears your cry from being sad, or from smelling horrendous smells. No. JT was crying because he was laughing so fucking hard at me. He claimed that it had nothing to do with the fact that I was in charge with cleaning up after these sick bastards, but the fact that I had made several different disgusted facial expressions while doing it.

_Ugh!_

Once breakfast is cooked and the coffee has finished brewing, I make my way to the front entrance and step outside for some much needed fresh air. Taking a seat on a nearby wooden bench, I lean my head back onto the brick building of the club and close my eyes briefly. _What?_ I think my eyes deserve some resting after all of the naked bodies I've seen today. I sigh. _What have I got myself into?_

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Walking through the frozen dinner section of the grocery store, I glance over my shoulder for the hundredth time. Ever since I arrived here, I've kept getting this weird feeling that I'm being followed. Like I'm being watched. But every time I look in the direction that I'm sure my stalker is standing in, I find nothing to prove my theory. No one seems to really be paying attention to me. But as I round the corner into the next aisle, I notice a little girl, staring directly at me. All of my movements come to a halt and I begin staring back. _Perhaps the girl is lost?_ She looks to be around eleven or twelve. Long, chestnut brown curly hair that stops barely past her shoulders. Hazel green eyes that reflect a slough of emotions. Sadness. Curiosity. And..._pain_? I continue studying her features as she continues to study mine. I begin to wonder if I possibly know her, but all thoughts are lost when a woman with similar features as the child walks up to her smiling with motherly pride.

Then the woman looks up at me and her smile completely disappears. She gasps and her eyes widen in shock and recognition. Without saying a word, the woman grabs the child by the wrist and pulls her away from me, and out of the store, leaving her grocery basket in the middle of the aisle.

_Okay... that was really weird._

When I finally make it back out to my truck and begin driving towards the motel, relief and confusion tag team against my brain. Shivers run through me like a bullet train when my mind goes back to when the little girl looked at me, studying me. Her eyes piercing my soul with unspoken questions that she so desperately wanted to ask me, but, not a word was spoken. Then there was the way the woman looked at me with straight up recognition as if she knew me her whole life but were too afraid to say anything. I have no clue what happened back there, but whatever it was, it made my insides twist with an uneasy confusion that I'm finding hard to deal with.

I mean, why on Earth was the child looking at me as if I were supposed to know her? Why was her mother_—if she were even her mother—_looking at me as if she knew me her whole life? They made me feel so exposed, and honestly, I don't like it.

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Upon my arrival back at the motel, I rush immediately into my room, slamming and locking the door. Quickly, yet briefly, I glance out of the window to make sure that I wasn't followed and I release the breath I hadn't realized that I'd been holding in a deep deflate of my lungs. Leaning back against the door, I slowly slide down the smooth surface while swiping off my wig and removing the pins that hold up my real hair flat against my scalp.

With yet another heavy sigh, I come to a stand and tilt my head down to look at the wig in the floor beside my feet. _I am so damn sick and tired of wearing that stupid thing. _Again, my argument is simple. It burns up my scalp. Itches like crazy. And I think that if I continue to wear it, I'm going to end up bald.

_Fuck this shit!_

Tossing the dreadful fake wad of hair into the trash, I make my way into the bathroom and run myself a bath. Then it hits me. _Jonas..._

I walk back out into the main area of the dusty old motel room and grab my phone, hitting Jonas' speed dial button. He answers on the second ring.

"_Hey, babe! Grrrreat news!"_

I smile at the sound of his voice, lying back onto the bed with a sigh. "So I've heard." I giggle. When he doesn't respond, I continue, "Lay it on me."

"_Hmmm... if I were there, I believe I would do more than 'lay it on you', Catherine."_

I bite my lip. _Damn I miss Jonas... _"Hardy-har, you perv! So, tell me. What is the great news. You sound so... I don't know. Excited? Thrilled?"

"_Oh, baby. You have no idea how thrilled I am in this very moment.__"_

I laugh. "Then tell me already. The anticipation is _killing me_!" He chuckles and I smile. But within seconds, my smile falters when the sound of a woman is in the background. "Jonas? Who is that talking the background?"

"_Oh, that's just Selena. My lawyer __involving__my__ divorce with Alexis." _I sigh with relief. I can hear the huge grin plastered on his face rather than see it and it makes me smile, too. He chuckles. "_Which brings me to the __ah-mazing__ news. Now, I don't know how she did it... but, as of today, I'm no longer a married man. The judge signed off on the final decree, and even so, without either me, or Alexis present. Isn't that amazing, Cat? I'm finally free! __We can finally move forward towards bigger and better things together.__"_

"Hey! You're not _fully _free, exactly. Unless, of course," I pause, biting my bottom lip as I try my best to lower my voice into something more seductive, yet pleading as I continue, "you've forgotten All. About. Little ole' me?"

At his groan, I giggle. "_Woman, you're going to be the death of me, yet. Dam__n__. __It.__" _I laugh, and this time, my head falls back with the force.

Suddenly, a light tapping comes from my door. Not expecting any visitors, my brows pinch together as I release a large puff of air from my lungs. "Who is it?" I call out when the tapping begins again. I know it's not Vincent because JT mentioned earlier that he were going out of town to deal with some personal errands. I call out again, but no one responds. I sigh, with a light growl of frustration. "Hang on, Jonas. Someone is at the door."

Jonas growls. "_Don't worry about it. Just... __just __call me later when you get time. Love you." _and with that, he hangs up. _Asshole!_

Getting up off of the bed. I don't worry about putting the wig back on because I'm completely done with it. Trust me, it's worth the risk at this point. Besides, who's going to remember the little girl I used to be, anyways? Back then, I was shy. The quiet book worm when it came to school. The girl no-damn-body wanted much of _any_thing to do with because she always stayed to herself, that it didn't matter anyway. And yet, here I am, using stupid disguises while on my vacation from work.

_But somebody _did _recognize you, didn't they, Catherine?_

Maybe...

Maybe not...

But to keep it safe, just in case, the contacts and new identity will remain. I mean, if questioned about my hair, the answer is quite simple, even though it's yet another lie to add to my list.

_Why?_

Because I can.

I take a deep breath, and peek out through the peep hole on the door and jolt back when I see the woman that had stared at me earlier today at the grocery store, then leaving abruptly. Swallowing hard with a loud gulp, I unlock the chain, then the dead bolt before swinging the door open. Her eyes slowly come up to meet mine and she appears to be shocked glancing at my hair. At first, she appears to be alone. But that is up until the child that were with her peeks out from behind the woman.

I clear my throat, and force a smile. "Can I, uh... help you?"

"May I come in? I'm sure that with what I'm about to say that you may want to sit down. Maybe even pour yourself a drink." the woman responds, shakily. She's looking at me with emotions that begin to make me a little uneasy. The first I notice, is fear. But from what, I have no idea. There is a little worry combined with shock and nervousness. I step back and open the door further, glancing first left, then right outside to make sure no one else is present. The woman steps inside, but she asks the little girl to go sit and wait in the car. The girl nods and obliges.

Closing the door, I sigh once again before facing the woman, who's eyes are now glistening with unshed tears. "You look... wow... just like... _him_."

_Excuse me?_

I blink rapidly with a confused smile plastered on my face. "I'm sorry. But I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't even know you."

She huffs a quiet laugh as she takes out a wallet from her small purse, pulling out some sort of piece of paper. She acts like she wants to give me the paper, but hesitates, patting the small rectangular paper in the palm of her hand. Finally, with shaking hands, she hands me the paper, which turns out to be a photo, and I gasp, covering my mouth with my free hand as tears fog my vision.

I can't speak. I can't think. I merely shake my head in disbelief at the silent info this woman has placed into my hand. I look up at her, then back down at the photo when I finally find the words to say. "How... Where...?"

The photo is of my brother Zach and I, sitting at the local fishing docks after he took me out for an ice cream cone. I was like... thirteen, I do believe in this photo. My mind is attacked by flashes of that day. It was a smothering hot summer day and Mama had been sitting on the porch with me when Zach came by unexpectedly. I was totally thrilled to see him again, considering it had felt like centuries since I saw him last. He wanted to take me out, and Mama was more than happy to oblige. She knew the close-knit brother/sister relationship I shared with Zach.

We ended up making that particular dock our spot. In the spring and summer times, we had cookouts and swam close by the dock. Then in the winter time, we'd go down there and build a fire up along a bank in the same area, making s'mores and drinking warm apple cider while we talked about things going on at home and my schooling.

My heart begins to hurt. Really. Fucking. Hurt. It's even hard to breathe. Tears begin to fall from my eyes and I collapse into a nearby chair, still shaking my head back and forth in disbelief. "I-I-I... I don't understand." I sob shakily, looking back up at the woman. "Where did you get this? Who are you?"

She pulls out the chair parallel to me and takes a heavy intake of breath, puffing it out just as quickly. "My name is Gabriella Martinez." she pauses, studying me to see if her name rings any bells in my head, but unfortunately, they don't.

She continues, "When I saw you at the grocery store today, I wanted nothing more than to just tell you everything right then and there. But that's proven to be impossible with as many eyes and ears that were surrounding us. I know who you are, even though you know absolutely nothing about me. Obviously. But, I'm hoping that once this conversation is out in the open, I hope that we can get to know each other for Katie's sake. I know Zach would truly want that." she says nodding her head in the direction of the door.

_Katie..._

That's the little girl's name.

Deep down, I know that what this woman is about to say will forevermore change my life. But I need her to verbally say it out loud. I need her to just say it.

"Zach and I were engaged to be married twelve years ago. By that time, we'd been together just a little over a year. I was madly in love with him, and him with me." She swallows hard, looking down at the table before continuing in a hurt voice. "But, his sudden death took away any and all plans of our future." she murmurs, wiping away fallen tears from her eyes.

I close mine slowly and try my best to keep mine at bay, but it is hopeless. They streak down my cheeks anyway. I don't like where this conversation is going. I'm completely uncomfortable at this point. And now? I'm beginning to question my brother's loyalty. _How could he lie to me like this? _I mean, no, I didn't ever come out and ask him if he were involved with anyone. In fact, I hardly ever asked him questions about his life period, only because he closed himself off from everyone. But still, he lied on omission. He kept this away from me.

Abruptly, I take a stand. This is just too much. I don't know if I can hear anymore of this. She stands too, and walks over to me, grasping my hand and squeezing it. "I'm so sorry, Catherine. I didn't come here to hurt you. But now that Katie has seen you in person and knows that you're here, I can't not say anything."

"Is she his?" I ask, taking my hand away from her. I make my way over to the cabinet next to the mini fridge and pull out a bottle of Jack. Instead of pouring it into a glass, I drink it straight from the bottle, welcoming the pulsing burn all the way down my throat, and into my stomach. When she doesn't answer me right away, I turn on my heels and glare at her.

She's fidgeting with her hands, twisting her palms back and forth. And in that moment, I have my answer. Taking another long pull from the bottle, I raise my brows at her and out of nowhere, a laugh—_a very uncontrollable, emotional laugh—_escapes me. She looks at me like I've lost my mind, but soon her arms are around me as we fall into a heap on the floor, clinging to one another, as my laughter shifts into harsh sobs.

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_****Ending the chapter there. Sorry if it wasn't much of anything. I've decided to go ahead and do Vincent POV's every now and then to help understand certain plots, so please just bear with me lol. This chapter was really important for Catherine because now she has someone on her side that she doesn't have to hide from. So tell me, what are your thoughts? Is Knox really going to help Catherine? What about Gabriella? Katie? I know there wasn't VinCat, but we will get there, I promise! Love you all! And I'm so happy to be back!****_


	8. Ch 7 - Rest In Pieces

**Disclaimer:**** Although I own the rights to this story, I do not own BATB or it's characters.**

**Summary:** **(AU) – Catherine**** Chandler lost her brother, Zach, to The Ryders MC biker club as a young child. All grown up, she is New York's favorite undercover officer and PI. Once she takes her vacation, her work doesn't stop there. She returns to Falling Spring, West Virginia where it all began, to exact revenge on the biker gang. What she doesn't bargain for is Vincent, also known as Beast—the newly-elected vice-president of the gang and Zach's best friend. When Catherine and Vincent come face-to-face, the sparks are immediate, and Catherine finds herself torn between exacting vengeance for her shattered past, and an uncertain future in the arms of a biker bad boy.**

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**Warning:****This story contains explicit language, graphic sexual adult content, gang violence, and drug usage. If you DO NOT wish to read any of the named above, then I advise that you not read this story at all.**

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**A/N: Again, I apologize for not having any VinCat in the last chapter. I needed to get certain things out of the way before moving forward lol. Now, we will be taking a looking into Vincent's mind in this chapter, and it's really dark. Doing so will show you a heartbreaking side of him in this story and give you a glimpse as to why he's with the MC. Yal may not like how this chapter starts out because of what happens, but I did warn you that this is a dark story and it is gruesome. So pleaseeeee bear with me. Thanks so much for your reviews!**

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**-Chapter 7—Rest In Pieces-**

_**Vincent**_

Sitting in the cemetery with a bottle of America's finest wine, I sink to the ground and sit Indian style in front of my designated tombstone.

_Here lies Alexandria Leigh Keller..._

_Loving Wife and Mother..._

_(Feb. 22 1980—Jul. 3 2009)_

Placing two long stemmed wine glasses from a picnic basket onto the headstone in front of me, I pop the cork out of the bottle and begin to pour both my wife and I a glass of red. Merlot was definitely her favorite, and I made sure that on every special occasion I bought a bottle for her. Today included.

You see, today is a very special day for the both of us. Today makes nine years since we've been married. We had a really great marriage, Alex and I. We were the perfect pair. She came into my world and brought some light where it had been dark. Darkened when a close friend and MC brother was murdered by the feds. But that is a story to get into at another time.

Alex and I did everything together. Shared everything with each other. There was never a day that went by that we were apart. She carried my child and we wedded. And eventually, we made something truly beautiful together. We had a life, and an amazing one at that. I never thought that I could ever love somebody so deeply before.

I backed out of the MC once Olivia was born and I went to college to get my business degree and a degree in architecture and opened my own business. Surprisingly, my dad didn't mind. In fact, he completely understood my reasoning and supported me. I was completely happy to finally be able to do something that I love and make a damn good living out of it.

I went from rock bottom all the way to the very top of the highest mountain in one year, designing house after house after house, and then building them. I became pretty wealthy through the years, as my business became the biggest success in Falling Spring. My wife and daughter didn't want for anything. It was truly the perfect life. I had it all and couldn't have asked for more. I finally found my happily ever after.

_O__r so I thought_.

But that all changed on my daughter's fifth birthday. The life that we had worked so hard to build together, had eventually came crashing down.

With being out of the MC for five years, I had thought that we were completely out of harms way. I thought that my family was no longer in danger. But I was deadly wrong.

The Triads are a Japanese gang in Pennsylvania. Why have a gang like them in that particular state, I'll never know. They are relentless, brutal killers, but, they are careful at what they do. Ever hear of that saying 'I'll make you disappear'? Well, that's exactly what the Triads do. They make you disappear. Literally.

When they kill, there's no evidence left behind.

Including the body.

The week leading up to my daughter's birthday, they had discovered my departure from the Ryders. They wanted information about the MC, and I was more than happy to reject them immediately. They didn't take too kindly to my shutdown, and well, I may have flipped them off and told them where to stick, too.

They abducted me and took me to their gang prez, Li Zao, whom ordered for my presence. All I could think about is what have they done to my girls? Where are they? And are they safe? I didn't care about what they were going to do to me. I knew from the moment they threw me like a sack of potatoes in the back of their black van that my life was over.

Li, of course, had better plans for me.

Instead of the usual 'kill 'em quick and dispose of the body' scenario, Li wanted me to suffer for turning them down. So, he used me as a guinea pig. Injected some sort of parasite into my jugular, and experimented on me. Turns out that he's been working on the ultimate weapon to use against the US of A as the biggest terrorist act in History. And, ultimately, it was a success.

Whatever he injected into me had made my mind more clearer. I could hear the voices of people miles away. I could smell blood running through your veins and I could feel your heartbeat thump, thump, thumping inside of your chest. My eyesight was remarkably perfect and my all white, straight teeth had shifted into sharp, jagged fangs. Claws grew from out of my fingertips. And, basically, I became stronger... faster... _better._

I was the ultimate killing machine.

Zao brainwashed me. Coached me for days until I became fully compliant to his every command. He used me, beat me, shocked me and forced me to do things that I thought I would never have to do again. But what's worst, is the crime that took place in the safety of my own home.

_On my daughter's birthday._

_In the middle of the night._

No longer was I the man whom would protect my family with every breath. The man that would fight with every fiber of his being. No... I was now a monster ready to shed blood.

Alex was pissed off at me that night anyway for going missing for nearly a week, and for missing out on Olivia's birthday. The moment she spotted my silhouette in the doorway, she came at me like a hurricane, yelling at me and beating my chest with her fists as tears ran down her beautiful face. Luckily, she didn't see my face for the shadows blocked it out of view. You see, when I was still in my disobedient stage while Zao was training me, he cut me down the right side of my face with a hunter's knife and left me there to die as punishment. Only, Zao never wanted me to die. He still had plans for me.

I tried to explain to Alex why I was away. I tried to convince her that it wasn't like I had chose to stay away. I mean, she knew me better than anybody. She knew I wouldn't have just left Olivia on her birthday. That wasn't me. But she wouldn't listen. She was completely distraught and angry. The pain hit me before I even realized she even smacked me across my face. The side of my face that I had been cut on.

On any other given day, that wouldn't have bothered me. I would have never of reciprocated in any form or fashion. Any other time Alex and I had a fallen out, and things became physical with her shoves, slaps, and throwing objects at me, I always walked away. Always. My mother, Roxy, didn't raise us that way.

But this time, I just don't know what came over me. It all happened so fast. Like the other times, I tried so hard to make myself turn in the other direction and bolt. It was the best option in order to keep her safe. I could sense it.

_The transformation... _

I was turning into an uncontrollable animal.

A beast...

I tried to fight it, falling down onto the porch. Roars slipped from somewhere deep within my chest. And they only progressed into sounding more and more animalistic. No matter how hard I tried to shake off the change, the demons inside of me that had been coaxed and trained to kill had completely took over me.

I blacked out for what seemed like hours, but were merely minutes. And by the time I finally came to, my erratic heartbeat and fast-paced breaths turned into screams and sobs at the scene that greeted me.

My body was completely soaked with the evidence of the murders of my wife and daughter. Their bodies laid lifeless in the middle of the living room floor. Mauled. Broken. Abused. Defeated...

_Dead..._

I killed my family. I killed the only two people I ever cared about. I looked away as the sobs shook my entire body. I wanted to die with them. I wanted God to take me away instead. I wanted my eyes to open so that I could say that all of this was just some nightmare. But it was very much real. Their lives had ended in seconds. By my hands.

So in a span of panic, I ran out of the door, fell to my hands and knees in my front yard as my stomach spilled onto the green lawn. After, I stumbled to my feet and went into the shed and grabbed my shotgun, and without another thought, I placed the long barrel into my mouth and pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

There weren't any bullets inside of it.

I searched the shelves inside of the shed, but came up empty handed. This must have been my punishment for all of the horrible things I had done being a part of the MC.

For years I've tried to kill myself. But I never succeeded. I finally gave up and came to a conclusion that this is what I deserved for every cruel and evil thing I had done in my life. For every life I had took for my father, or one of my club brothers. For all of the people I tormented and had beaten. This was my punishment. It was a punishment way worse than death.

_But I deserved every bit of it._

The police finally came. But like the coward I am, I hid in the shadows as they rolled my wife and daughter one at a time out of the house in a yellow body bag. It was later that the police claimed the case as an animal mauling. Possibly a bear.

I thought about admitting to the crimes many times, but I wanted to kill the bastard that put me in this position in the first place. So, I returned to the MC once again and made a promise to my girls in a prayer that I would kill Zao for what he made me do to them. I swore that they would get their justice. One way, or another. But I knew that the mission would be a hard one because no matter how many times I had come close to getting him, he would disappear again.

Sitting here looking at the tombstone beside of my wife's, I take a hand and swipe it down the smooth surface where my daughter's ashes are buried beneath. Tears silently slide down my cheeks, and immediately, I wipe them away.

They say that with time, you heal. But that's a bunch of bullshit. The pain only gets worse. I will never forgive myself for what I did to them. They meant everything to me. If only I had done what Zao had asked of me. If only I had gained more self control over my body, none of this would have ever happened.

And I still wouldn't be the monster Zao created today.

I ended up telling JT. And with his help, I've found a solution to my beastly problem. He created a medication just for me. And as long as I take it twice a day, I'm under control. The beast side of me hasn't come out since JT helped me.

Over the years, I've been with a lot of women. That's how I've coped. One night stands are how I can get away from the pain, even if just for a little bit.

But then, I met Erica. And everything had changed. That sensational spark I felt every time I was around Alex... I felt the same zap shoot through my veins, from head to toe when I first laid eyes on Erica. It was a sensation I never thought I would ever feel again. A sensation that felt, both, exquisite and terrifying at the same time.

Shaking my head of thoughts involving Erica, I finish my glass of wine as I get back up to my feet. After cleaning up my mess, I blow a kiss to both stones, turn towards my Harley Davidson truck, and pull out of the cemetery to head home.

* * *

The gravel road that leads to the house is a long one, decorated on both sides with rose bush after rose bush, all of the way up the drive. Alex loved roses. Red and white ones, in fact, and at the old place, the yard was surrounded with rose bushes. I guess it kind of stuck with me, so when I purchased the plot of land to build my new home, I also bought fifty rose bushes to plant along the driveway.

The house is my favorite part, though. I designed the whole thing; inside and out. At the end of the driveway, is a concrete walk-way that leads up to the house's main structure, sitting on concrete and different colored stones half-way up. A white french door has been cut out of the stone structure that leads into my basement, and/or man cave as the guys call it; completely set up with a large flat screen TV, game systems galore, a black leather L-shaped couch in front of the TV with a matching black leather chair off to the side of it. Wooden chocolate colored end tables and coffee table—_that I built—_bring out the black in the leather of the couch and the deep hunter green of the lamp shades.

A beautiful thick glass bar with solid steel black leather upholstered stools, and three shelves filled with all of my favorite liquors. The lighting is dimmed in various of colors; dark blues, and yellow. A pool table sits on the left side of the room, and a poker table over on the right.

Back outside, there are a set of caramel stained stairs which are connected to a full caramel stained porch; which wraps around the entire A-Framed caramel colored house, with a chocolate colored roof. Ten widows are cut out of the frontal of the house above the glass french doors that lead into my living space.

Similar couches and tables are sat in various spots of the living room along with yet another flat screen TV built into the wall above a gray and burgundy stone mantel that hovers over the beautiful gray marble fire place and white plush carpeting throughout the room.

To your right, there's an opening that leads to the kitchen. All solid steel appliances, white cabinets and black granite counter tops. A kitchen island sits in the middle of the room and chocolate stained wooden floors. A small walk-in den hides in the back of the kitchen where I also keep an amazing selection of wines.

The caramel stairs lead up to a hallway that houses three large bedrooms, all decorated the same way. Four poster cherry wood beds sit on plush white carpets, and black silk sheets. Cherry wood dressers, side tables and white lamps with hunter green shades.

My bedroom has a bathroom attached, complete with a shower that could fit an army inside with glass doors and a concrete floor and a rain shower head dangles from the ceiling. White glass tiles make up the walls, and the bathtub is more like a jacuzzi rather than a tub. A white granite counter sits on top of black cabinets, holding two solid steel sinks with a whole wall of nothing but mirror above it. The guest bath is built similar, only a little smaller.

Grabbing my kut, I make my way into my bathroom and pull the top drawer of the cabinet open, grabbing my pills. Popping the lid, I pause with a sigh, looking up into the mirror at my own reflection.

A whisper of dark circles droop from below my hazel eyes. Beads of sweat dot my forehead. But the one thing I can't seem to ignore is that dreadful scar down the side of my face. The scar that reminds me everyday of what I've become, and what I later did to my family.

Tentatively, I reach a shaking hand up to my cheek, tracing the scar with my fingertips. How anyone can stand to look at me, I'll never know.

_Erica didn't seem to notice, though... _

Or maybe she did and chose to be polite by not asking me about it like the others have, and still do. Maybe that's why she's so jumpy around me. My ugly scar. From what I can remember, she was startled almost every time I interacted with her. Or she seemed pretty nervous around me, anyways.

Focusing back on the matter at hand, I pop one of the pills before screwing the cap back on, and toss the bottle into the shelf. I leave the house with a frustrated grunt and make my way towards Katz for church.

* * *

"Alright! Alright! Settle down, will 'ya?" Mike, my father, shouts over the loud voices of the MC while he bangs his gavel on the podium he's standing in front of. I'm standing to his left and my brother, Daniel, to his right.

Tonight's meeting has put us in a time of turmoil because it turns out that we have a snitch amongst us, and two of our men have been arrested and charge with drug possession and distribution.

_Damn! _

From the looks of the amount of coke they had on them, they're facing a very long time in prison. Looking around the room, I glance at every single brother in the room, taking my time to glare for a minute or two at each one of them. I have several men I suspect for the possibility of being a snitch, but I'm not about to call them out on it and interrogate them so that I will have to face the consequences if I happen to be wrong about my suspicions.

When I quiets down, Brit, also known as Evan, speaks up. "'Well, I'm goin' to go on a bloody leap and say that I think it's that new waitress you hired, Prez. What's her name again? Ella? Elizabeth? Eleanor?—"

"Erica. Her name is Erica. And I think you're taking advantage of the fact that she's new here to place the blame on her." I spit at the British man, hence the nickname, Brit. He came here from England to escape from the tabloids of his student/professor affair he had at the University he worked at. He discovered Mike and his MC, and, the rest is history.

"I agree with Brit. Erica seems a lil' too paranoid for my likin'. She's constantly asking JT and Tess questions bout the club that are strictly none of her business. And she acts like a bitch." my brother, Danny says to me.

I laugh, crossing my arms and take a threateningly slow step towards him from behind my father. "She's only a bitch to you because you don't know how to keep your hand to yourself, 'ya prick." I turn towards Mike. "I think that instead of making assumptions, we need to change things up a bit around here. Alternate who goes out on the drug runs, etc."

"You're right, son. We will figure this all out without makin' accusations against people that we're not sure of bein' guilty." Mike says, turning towards the group. Danny and Evan are looking at me as if they could just murder me. I roll my eyes and bring my attention back to Mike. "Anyone else have anythin' else to say?"

No one responds.

"Alright, then." Mike continues, raising his gavel. "This meeting is over. We will meet again come Monday to figure out this mess. Now, get the hell outta herr." _Thud! _

My brothers and I head for the door, when a hand grabs me on my shoulder. It's Mike. "Can I speak to you alone for a minute?" I nod and wait until the room clears before he continues. "I want 'ya to keep an eye on this Erica chick."

"What?" I hiss, uncrossing my arms.

"You heard me, boy. I just wanna make sure that we have every suspect covered. If she's innocent, than we have nothin' to worry bout. Right?"

I pause, glaring at him for a brief moment before sighing heavily, turning my body to the side and pinching the bridge of my nose. "I didn't sign up for babysitting duty, dammit." I raise my head, looking directly into my old man's eyes. "This suggestion alone will raise the suspicion bar with the guys even higher against her if you put me in charge of keeping tabs on her. They'll ask questions."

"Then make it look un-suspicious, Vincent. And I don't care how you do it, neither. You're a smart boy. Use that brain of your's." and with that, he storms off past me, hitting me with his shoulder along the way, slamming the door behind him.

Slumping down into the chair close-by, I swipe up the half full bottle of Jack sitting on the table next to me and begin drinking. This is gonna make things more difficult on me considering I'm still looking for Zao. I'm in the middle of an important matter and then Mike has to throw this shit on me. It's nothing against Erica. In fact, I like her. Maybe more than I care to admit.

But if I don't do this, Mike will just give the job to somebody else, and if that happens, a whole can of worms will be opened and she could possibly be placed into danger. The thought of her getting hurt pisses me off, and honestly, I don't know why. Even though she seems the type to be able to take care of herself, not only because she's mentioned it before when Danny pissed her off by slapping her ass—_yet another thing that pisses me off. _

Besides, it's not like I can watch her every move and listen in on her every conversation outside of the club... _unless_...

Maybe I can talk her into moving in with me.

* * *

_****Okay... I know, I know... I said VinCat would be in this chapter, but I got a little carried away in Vincent's POV and then I just couldn't resist the tad bit of cliffhanger at the end. I hope that yal don't hate me for the gruesome chapter this was, and continue following me. Does this chapter help answer some of your questions? I hope so. But, we still have a ways to go. I'm not sure if I spelled Zao's name right, but if not, then I'm sorry lol. I will work on the next chapter and have it up in about a week if I can. So, what do you think about Vincent's situation? Do you think he can talk Catherine (Erica) into living with him when they hardly know each other? Let me know what you all think. Love you all! XOXO!****_


	9. Ch 8 - Old Lady

**Disclaimer:**** Although I own the rights to this story, I do not own BATB or it's characters.**

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**Summary:**** (AU) – Catherine**** Chandler lost her brother, Zach, to The Ryders MC biker club as a young child. All grown up, she is New York's favorite undercover officer and PI. Once she takes her vacation, her work doesn't stop there. She returns to Falling Spring, West Virginia where it all began, to exact revenge on the biker gang. What she doesn't bargain for is Vincent, also known as Beast—the newly-elected vice-president of the gang and Zach's best friend. When Catherine and Vincent come face-to-face, the sparks are immediate, and Catherine finds herself torn between exacting vengeance for her shattered past, and an uncertain future in the arms of a biker bad boy.**

**Warning:****This story contains explicit language, graphic sexual adult content, gang violence, and drug usage. If you DO NOT wish to read any of the named above, then I advise that you not read this story at all.**

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**A/N: Have I told you all how awesome you all are? If not, you're all truly amazing! Some have already come up with theories for Zach's death and the murders of Vincent's wife and child. Also, I apologize for the wait. I've been working on my FSOG Fanfic lately, and then my real life has thrown a lot of obstacles at me in between. Please overlook any mistakes. I haven't got the time to really go back over the chapters before I update them. So I'm sorry about that ahead of time. Anyways, enough of my rambling. Let's get back to the story at hand ;) XOXO!**

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**-Chapter 8—Old Lady-**

_**Catherine POV **_

The past couple of days went by in a blur of short calls with Jonas, long shifts at Katz, and working on my new, yet not-so-new, house. Oh, and I cut and highlighted my hair. Honestly, the wig I had picked out was just a little too much, so, I decided to change my own.

My once long mid-back, naturally straight dark chestnut hair now flows down to barely past my shoulders in loose, soft waves in a combination of brown, blond, and auburn; the blond and auburn being my highlights. And honestly, I love it.

But eventually, I had to test out how everyone at the strippers joint would react to it. _Oh, __God._ I was so conflicted about not wearing my wig. Luckily for me, though, not a damned soul recognized me as Catherine Chandler, little sister to their dead prospect.

Instead, I received more looks; more head turns than I would have really liked to have had. And God forbid if I forget to mention the groping and ass slaps that came my way. In fact, I came very close to hacking hands off, it was so annoying. But I bit my tongue, and pushed my nails into the palms of my hands each time and moved on with my job.

Because life was really against me right now. And if I wanted to neck in tact, it was highly recommended by my self conscience to keep my identity under wraps.

Now, I'm taking advantage of my time off at Katz to get some much needed work done around the house that I bought a few days ago. My old _childhood _home, in fact. I haven't had much free time to do much of anything lately with it and thought that today was the best chance at getting a huge portion of the outside work done.

_Oh, and did I mention that Gabriella and Katie were over here?_

It's not like I don't want them over here. It's just a little weird and upsetting to be around them, knowing that they'd been very close to my brother at one time. A time, in which, he had nothing to do with me. Admittedly, I'm jealous. But at the same time, I'm excited to discover a side of Zach that I hardly got the time to even see.

"So when did you two meet?" I ask Gabi, swiping my right arm across my face to wipe away the sweat that's beginning to drench my forehead.

Even though it's Spring, its devilishly hot out today as if it were Summer. Katie took off inside to read a book while Gabi and I got our hands dirty pulling weeds from the flower beds.

Gabi smiles, and I know she's living inside of a good memory. "I was eighteen. I know because I had just been kicked out of the house I was living in by my dope addict father a week before. My mother wouldn't fight for me. Ever. She was afraid of him, and had good reason to. I don't think I ever seen my mother without a battered face in my entire life."

I wait as she takes a moment to sigh.

"Anyways, I had no where to go, no car to get out of town. No money for food. I was in a bad place for a whole, agonizing week. Until I saw that Help Wanted sign and applied for a job. I had just clocked into work when Zach came in. It was raining; a nasty storm on it's way here." She trails off, smiling with a shake of her head. "He sat in one of the bar stools in the front of the diner, keeping his head down. Asked for a cup of coffee. Black."

"Ugh, that's how he always had his morning coffee." I laugh.

She smiles. "He scared me, at first. Ya' know, with his dark, brooding presence and all that jazz. I was afraid that if I looked at him the wrong way, he would've snapped. He looked so angry. Sadly, to this day, I have no idea why, neither."

I try to picture her story in my head as she continues to tell it...

"_Can I get you anything to eat with that, sir?" Gabriella asked, her voice shaky. _

_Zach shook his head on a scoff, finally darting his head up and barked, "__If I had wanted anything to eat, I would've said something."_

_Gabi lurched back by how forceful his tone had been. She was scared that she'd upset him in some way. Until his eyes softened. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I'm sorry."_

"_It's okay. Just a little spooked, is all." Gabi shrugged it off and plastered a fake smile onto her face. _

"_What's your name, darlin'?" he asked, softly._

"_Gab—Gabriella. __Martinez." her voice continued to shake. And she could do nothing to stop it._

_Zach noticed the last name instantly. Turned out that Jose Martinez, __her father,__ had owed the Ryders some doe __slinging dope for them__. But what got to him the most, was, how shaken she seemed. __And he was prepared to get to the bottom of it all. __'Cause God knows he couldn't stand a woman beater. Especially when it came to a beautiful soul like Gabriella Martinez.__ "So, __tell me...__W__ho's ass am I kickin'__tonight__, Gabi?"_

"That's the day that Gabi really stuck with me. The way he said it so calmly, and protectively. It was all that I could do to not swoon into a puddle of mush on the floor. Cat, your brother saved me that night. In more ways than one. And since that night, Zach would always come in during my shift and sit and talk to me with his signature black coffee. The rest is history."

I can't help but feel, both, pride and hatred towards my brother. The fact that he helped this woman get over her fears, was amazing. But at the same time, I was angry that he had abandoned me night after night, only to walk inside of a lonesome diner at the end of town.

"Did he—_uhm_—did he ever talk about us?" I had to know. I just needed to know if he at least thought of us during that time. Or any time at all.

Her smile grows until she's actually beaming at me. "All the time. For a while, I actually felt jealous over_ you_, he talked about you so much. I thought he already had a girlfriend or something, but later found out that you were his sister. He cared so much about you, Catherine. Even if it didn't seem like it at times."

A lone tear falls from my right eye as I smile sadly. My throat is so full of emotion that I find it hard to even speak. "Well, I must admit that _I'm_ totally jealous of _you_. He hardly ever came to see me. So you must have been truly special to him to get all of his attention."

Her face scrunches up in pain, her throat visibly twitches as she swallows hard. "Not as special as you were to him. Wasn't a day that went by that he didn't talk about you."

"Yeah." I take off my thin blue flannel button up, tying it around my narrow waist. It's only ten in the morning and it's already scorching. At least I have on a blue tank with cut-off denim shorts this morning. Maybe now I won't die from a heat stroke.

I turn back to pulling weeds out of the ground when Gabi stops me. "I honestly don't know what it's like to have a sibling. So I don't fully understand where you're coming from, nor the depths of your confusion on how he did things. But I do know that he never wanted to hurt you. That was the last thing he wanted to do. He wanted what was best for you. And to him, that was keeping you in the dark with what he was involved with. The MC weren't really good people. They still aren't. Very few of them are decent, but all of them have a dangerous side. They're killers. And Zach didn't want you exposed to that lifestyle."

I honestly don't know what to say to that. I still feel betrayed somehow. But I also feel an understanding when I really think about it. If it were me in his position, would I have done the same?

The answer is yes, I would.

And in some sense, it makes the situation much better to hear her say that to me. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Cat. And, hey, if you'd like to come over and go through his things—what things he did have—you're more than welcome to do so. It's all boxed up, but I'd be happy to get it out for you."

I smile. Really smile. "That would be great, Gabi. Thanks."

For the next couple of hours, we continued to pull weeds and get the riding mower, along with the weed eater out of the back of my truck. I had insisted from the beginning that she didn't have to help, but she was stubborn and took to weed eating the high grass in the front yard so it was low enough for me to go over with my mower.

Katie came out a few times, cracking up jokes with her mother and I when we took breaks to sip on some lemonade Gabi had brought over. I caught myself several times staring at Katie, studying what little features she did have of my brother. But I didn't want to upset Katie at all, so I kept my thoughts to myself.

When the yard actually began to look like an actual yard, we called it day and Gabi took Katie and left soon after with the promise that I would come by and visit them the next time. It was overall a good day.

Until I got the call from Mike telling me to come into Katz as soon as possible.

So after I showered and threw on some jeans with a black Avenged Sevenfold band T-shirt, I headed that way with a deep feeling that something was wrong.

* * *

_**Vincent POV**_

I arrived home thirty minutes after I left JT's, needing to just relax after being prodded and poked over a hundred times after he came up with a new medicine for me try a couple of days ago.

It really never gets any easier for me to deal with this curse, and I'm always reminded of what I truly am in the process of it all. I'm a damn guinea pig. That's exactly what I was to Zao, and now it's no different with JT.

He means well. Really, he does. And he's been so good about keeping my secret under wraps all of this time, which I'm grateful for. I will forever more be in his debt until the day I die. But, I'm just sick of it all.

I'm sick of the needles. The various machines. The way the medicine makes me feel most of the time. And the constant visits to JT's house to be tested. I hate being a damn burden, and I just wish it would all go away. I just wish I could just throw down the towel and crawl into a hole and die alone like I deserve.

But as I plop down onto the couch with a few beers sitting on the table next to me, ready for a night of watching my girls on my flat screen, I'm reminded why I can't give up.

I'm reminded that I have to find Zao and rip him apart like he made me do to my family.

"_Vincent, stop." _Alex laughs, hiding her face with one hand while the other one is thrusting towards the camera lens.

I take a sip of beer, staring at the screen as I speak the next line in the video. "Why? You're beautiful."

"_You know I hate cameras, Vincent. Please. Turn it off!" _Now she's serious. With her hands on her hips and that bottom lip pouting out so adorably, as it had always been, she looks even more beautiful.

On the TV, I'm laughing at her posture, still filming. "Well, I hate to disappoint. But the camera definitely _loves_ you. Almost as much as I do."

And that's all it takes to make her smile.

_Beautiful._

Taking a deeper pull from my beer, a lone tear slides down my cheek as we continue our bickering back and forth over the camera. Then the recording changes to the day of our wedding.

She was breathtaking in a simple white silk summer dress, standing in front of the courthouse building with a bouquet of purple wild flowers. Her waist-long red hair is pinned up in a bun on top of her head with tendrils framing her face. Those baby blues smile at me as we say our vows. Even though we had a courthouse wedding, it will always be a memory tattooed to my heart.

I've watched this video so many times that I brace myself for the next part. The video shifts to Alex laying in a hospital bed, screaming and pushing as hard as she can to deliver our baby girl. Her hair is a huge mess, and her face is beet red, filled with pain.

Back then, I thought she was crazy to not have anything to help her with the pain when it came time to push. But she didn't care. She wanted to have the memory of everything it took to bring our daughter into the world. And she did great.

After the fourth time pushing, Olivia was born. Weighing at six pounds and four ounces, she was the tiniest, most beautiful gift I could have ever received in my life. Despite the after birth and blood still on her face, I kissed her cheek and cried with Alex as they laid Olivia into our arms.

She was the best thing to ever happen to me, besides Alex. I felt like I could take on the world that day. Nobody could touch me.

But I was wrong.

Dead wrong.

Now I sit here every night, watching them and being with them the only way I can on days I can't make it out to the cemetery.

Before I know it, I've downed three beers, working on my fourth one. But it's all interrupted when my cell phone rings. At first, I decide not to answer it at all. I don't want to be bothered right now. And if it's truly important, whoever it is can call back. Otherwise, my voice mail still works as far as I'm concerned.

Then it rings again. I sigh, growling in anger at the same time. It's always when I'm doing something that people need me.

Slamming my beer down, I pause the DVD, which freezes on the frame of all three of us looking up at the camera from the hospital bed, then yank my phone off of the table. My thumb turns white from holding it down on the talk button.

"What?" I bark.

There's rustling in the background before JT speaks up. "Jesus! Who pissed in your cheerio's this morning?"

I roll my eyes, tilting my head back as I look up to the Heaven's for assistance. "This better be important, JT. I was in the middle of something."

"Yeah." he huffs into the phone. "Well, no offense, dude, but your idea of being _in the middle of something_ isn't exactly healthy, so..."

Oh yeah. JT knows about how I obsessively watch my wife and daughter via DVD until I'm so drunk, I have no choice but to pass out on the couch. I rub my face with my free hand, and plop down onto the couch again, taking a drink of my beer. "Just get on with it, JT. I'm busy, regardless of _what _I'm doing."

I don't mean to be so hard on him. But right now, I'm not thinking about anything but how mad I am to be interrupted at the moment.

"Look, I thought you might wanna know that Will and Danny have Erica in the back of the club right now, interrogating her. I thought they'd put all of that shit into your hands to deal with?" JT says.

I stand, grabbing my leather jacket. "_Mike_ put it all on me to deal with. I just never found the right time to approach the situation._ Christ! _I told them to leave her alone!" I yell into the phone, getting angry. "I guess I have no choice but to deal with it all now that they've forced my hand. I'm on my way. Don't let them touch her, JT. I mean it."

_Click!_

I'm a little thrown off by my need to protect her. I can't explain it, and I definitely don't understand it. But I look at it as my way of protecting an _innocent _person from my brothers' wrath, rather than protecting _her _specifically.

_And what is my father even thinking?_ Letting this all go on. _And without telling me? Hell, no! _This job was given to _me_. It's_ mine_ to deal with as I see fit. And I plan on taking the position back into my hands as soon as I get there. I'm not sure how, but I have five minutes of driving to think about it.

Grabbing my keys, I take off for my bike, hopping onto it at the same time as turning the key over in the ignition. Then I speed off in the direction of town, hoping and praying that they haven't hurt Erica.

Because God help me if they do.

* * *

_**Catherine POV**_

When I arrived to the club, I'd been instantly taken through the back by two awaiting bikers into a room. Even though I had been working there a week, I'd never even knew this room existed.

Folding tables littered the far wall, and a podium stood dead in the center with wooden tables pushed together to form a circle around it. Metal folding chairs sat in twos behind each table, and my eyes widened when I noticed there were a biker in each seat. Mike leaned against the wall next to the podium, and every eye in that room was on me.

"Have a seat, Miss Barker." Mike said in a low, commanding voice.

"What is this all about?" I ask, looking around the room at everyone sitting in it. I know something bad is happening. Why else would Mike bring in all of his dogs?

Mike points at a chair sitting in front of the podium, raising his brows, which tell me that he's becoming impatient with me. I can't help but feel like I'm on trial for something. And that's when I realize that the possibility that they've figured out who I am is going through my head.

Swallowing hard, I sit in the chair. My knee bounces in sync with my racing, beating heart and my palms become slick with sweat. I've never felt more nervous in my life. And that's saying a lot, considering my line of work and the dangers that follow it.

Mike comes up to the podium and slams a wooden gavel down onto it's flat surface. "Church is in service."

I swallow, again.

_What the hell is going on?!_

"Erica. I wanna start out by sayin' that we all appreciate your work since you've been with us here at Katz. The patron's love you, as well as my boys do. I'm happy to announce that I'm shocked that you've made it this long with us."

I clear my throat. "Thank you." My voice is nothing more than a whisper. If push comes to shove, I might be able to defend myself for a little while, but there are too many of them surrounding me. I'm outnumbered. I'm going to die.

But I'll do it with my head held high.

"But amongst the great chatter about you and how well you hold yourself as a waitress, I've also had my ear ripped off with talk about how you're working with the FBI. And I've had three of my brothers taken to prison since you've been here. So, it's not lookin' good for you right now."

_Shit! They know!_

My eyes widen and my jaw pops open. I can honestly say that I know nothing about his men being put in prison. But as far as the rest... _Do I say that they're telling the truth? _That I do, in fact, work with the FBI._ Or, do I tell them a lie, in the hopes that I'll make it out of here without being skinned?_

I present myself to look angry, and scoff. "I'm not sure who told you that piece of information, but it's wrong. I'm clueless as to what you're talking about."

"Oh, horse shit!" That would be Danny, who is now being held back by Will and Evan because he lunged at me. "You're lyin'!" he roars.

I raise a brow with a menacing smile. "You got proof to back you're ridiculous accusation?"

He holds my glare with a dangerous one of his own, his jaw drops open in disbelief. But only for a short moment before lunging at me again with a growl. I come to a stand and cross my arms. I'm not backing down from this. And I'm damn sure _not_ going to admit to something that I had no role in.

"That's enough!" Mike shouts, slamming his gavel down. "Danny, I think it would be best if ya' left, son. We'll take it from here."

"And I think that somebody better be explaining why in the hell I wasn't invited to church!"

I turn towards the direction of the voice and gasp with wide eyes.

_Vincent._

_And he_ wasn't_ aware of what's going on? _

He darts his eyes towards me. His chest heaving with his erratic breaths; panting as if he ran the whole way here, then looks back towards Mike. "What the fuck is going on?" he asks, chillingly calm. He begins walking towards the podium, when he stops to look at me from head to toe and back again, meeting my eyes. I shiver. It's as if I can actually feel his eyes touching my body.

Mike sighs. "I gave you your chance to deal with this two days ago, and you blew it. Now I'm taking over and doing things my way."

"That's where you're wrong. I did take care of it. And until I say different, _nobody_ is to mess with Erica without going _through_ _me_ first."

Holy...

_What the hell are they talking about? _

My eyes have grown into saucers and my mouth is agape. I mean, _come on! What is Vincent playing at? And why?_

It gets extremely quiet except for the occasional throat clearings throughout the room. Danny looks as if he's about to explode, Will is staring at Vincent in disbelief, and Evan is staring at Mike, waiting for retaliation while the rest of the audience have trained their eyes on me. My eyes dart back and forth between Vincent and Mike, waiting for one of them to break the uncomfortable silence. I'm prepared for the worst, if Mike's snarling expression is any indication. But neither say a word. At least, not by using their voices. Instead, they communicate using their eyes.

Vincent continues giving everyone a death glare, daring one of them to say or do something about it. And it doesn't take long before Mike obliges. "_Excuse me_? Who the fuck do you think you are, coming into _my_ club making demands like that?_ Huh?_"

"You heard me. _No one_. Is going to mess with Erica. Unless they go through me. _First_." he pauses for a moment, looking over his shoulder at me. A regretful, apologetic expression crosses his face. He returns his glare back towards Mike and Danny and snarls. "Erica is _mine_. I call claim on her as my old lady. Which means, _she's mine _to take care of. Mine to deal with. So all of you need to tuck tail, and leave her the fuck alone. You don't want to mess with me."

_Oh. My. God! _

I'm officially shocked speechless.

"Oh, and another thing." Vincent adds, smiling sarcastically. "This meeting is shot to shit, considering _some_ of us weren't notified." he shrugs. "Rules are rules, Pops. And we _all_ have to abide by them. Including yourself."

With a loud roar, Mike slams the gavel down so hard that it splinters off a chunk of the podium, shoving a finger towards every head in the room. "I want everyone to get the fuck _out_!"

When the room starts clearing, Danny walks up to Vincent. His lips pull up in a snarl and he takes a glance towards me before pointedly looking back at Vincent. "I now see where your priorities lie, brother. And you'd do well to watch your back from now on." he pushes past Vincent, and I watch in disbelief.

_How did everything go from good to worse so quickly?_

Mike points his index finger in Vincent's face. "You better remember your place in this coven, boy, before I'm forced to remind you of where you stand. I won't look foolish in front of my club." and with that, he stomps off.

I can't move. I can't think. All I hear are the words '_old lady' _and '_mine to take care of' _replaying over and over in my head. I don't know whether to hug him right now or slap him across the face. I'm not stupid, by no means. I know what it means to become an MC member's old lady. I would have to move in with him and act like he means something to me until its all over. We would have to walk into Katz every single day, acting as if we actually care about each other.

But I can't do that..._ I won't_! I mean, for God's sake, he's involved with the people who tore my family apart. So with that all in mind, I do the only thing that I can think of at this point.

I run.

I take off out of the room without saying another word. I'm so mad right now I can't see straight. Or maybe that's the tears building up in my eyes. And now I regret coming back to Falling Spring. I don't even want to be here anymore.

Finally, I make it out to the parking lot. "Erica, stop!"

I run even faster when I realize the voice belongs to Vincent. But I never make it any farther when my wrist is squeezed into a tight grip, and 'm yanked back into the arms of the one person I really don't want to talk to right now. In fact, I need some time alone so I can process all of this.

At first, I'm caught off guard by how close our faces are to each other. Actually, we're so close that it's possible he swallowed the yelp of protest that escaped my lips. His nose is nearly touching mine. My hands are palm flat against his hard chest. And his eyes are the perfect shade of brown with little flecks of green and yellow that pop out beautifully.

He darts his gaze down to my lips before returning back to mine. His hand that had been gripping my wrist, slides down my arm, and rests at the small of my back. We're both out of breath from running. What makes this situation bad is the fact that I actually like the way he feels pressed up against me. I don't want to like it at all. He looks at my lips again, only this time, he groans.

"Please, don't." my voice, is a whispering plea. But my body is screaming, _Kiss me!_

He doesn't respond, nor does he let me go. If anything, he wraps his other arm around my waist, bringing me in closer to him. Slowly he leans in, his lips barely brushing against mine. For a moment, I close my eyes and forget about everything that's happened. I even forget about Jonas being my boyfriend.

"_Ahem._"

I turn around quickly, my eyes growing wide with what I see before me and the realization of what he just saw. "Jonas."

_Shit!_

**_**Yup! Ending it on a cliffy. Actually, to be honest with you all, I didn't start feeling this chapter until near the end. But at the same time, I wanted to go ahead and get SOMETHING out there for you all. Since November, I've been too swamped to get any writing down, which eventually, I'd lost interest in writing at all. I have yet to fully get my writing mojo back, which you'll probably be able to tell by this chapter. I'm so sorry about that. I hope that you all had a Happy Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! Thanks so much for reading. XOXO!**_**

**_(ATTN): _**_**I'm going to reach out and ask if you all will help me out with a petition my friends have come up with involving the show. **__**The goal of the petition (link is located below) is to help by ANY MEANS POSSIBLE, whether that's helping the show get more seasons, or to help the cast/crew with their future careers.**_

_**Thank you all for your time and support.**_

_**"Fighting Against All Odds For Love of BATB" Petition Link: http (hyphen) → : (slash) → / (slash) → / chn.→ . ge (slash) → / 1N0GOqMAlso, **_


	10. Ch 9 - Mission Impossible

**Disclaimer:**** Although I own the rights to this story, I do not own BATB or it's characters.**

**Summary:**** (AU) – Catherine**** Chandler lost her brother, Zach, to The Ryders MC biker club as a young child. All grown up, she is New York's favorite undercover officer and PI. Once she takes her vacation, her work doesn't stop there. She returns to Falling Spring, West Virginia where it all began, to exact revenge on the biker gang. What she doesn't bargain for is Vincent, also known as Beast—the newly-elected vice-president of the gang and Zach's best friend. When Catherine and Vincent come face-to-face, the sparks are immediate, and Catherine finds herself torn between exacting vengeance for her shattered past, and an uncertain future in the arms of a biker bad boy.**

* * *

**Warning:****This story contains explicit language, graphic sexual adult content, gang violence, and drug usage. If you DO NOT wish to read any of the named above, then I advise that you not read this story at all.**

**A/N: So, last chapter ended on a cliffy, which, a lot of you hated lol. That will NOT be the last time I end a chapter on a cliffy. I know yal hate them, I do sometimes myself, but I must admit that I love yal's reactions to them lmao. I am so sorry haha. Anyways... I think it's safe to say that this is the beginning of VinCat in my story. Lots of things coming your way guys! The banter between characters as well as intense scenes of physical encounters. Romance and emotional breakdowns. And let's not forget the things that go BOOM! We also have to think of the clock that's ticking with Catherine's identity as Erica Barker. **

**The real question is, how long before Erica get's caught?**

**Please excuse any mistakes. I may have overlooked some while editing it lol. Enjoy!**

* * *

_**-Chapter 9—Mission Impossible-**_

_**Vincent POV**_

_Jonas? _

As in the boyfriend that lives in New York, _Jonas_?

It becomes uncomfortably quiet except for the occasional roar of engines as some of my brothers bring their bikes to life to head home for the day. I'm not sure why, but I find myself sizing up this Jonas character, as he does the same to me.

He's tall, but not taller than me. I'd estimate that he's probably around six feet tall compared to my six-foot-three. Looks strong, but not completely built like I am, weighing at about one seventy-nine, one-eighty. I weight around two twenty-five, all muscle.

Now, normally I don't get involved when it comes to situations like this. But if he came here to cause problems—_because his facial expression of death is a dead giveaway right now_—I'm more than happy to humor him. But before anyone can say a word, Jonas grunts, then walks away shaking his head.

What shocks me is how Erica willingly let him go without a fight. She's still standing a few inches away from me—inches she put in between us when I nearly kissed her, even though I have no clue why I did that. She simply watches as he walks away. Watching him get into his rental car. And then watches him sling gravel as he pulls out of the parking lot.

I shrug it off, because I honestly don't care. At least, when she turns around with hatred in her eyes, aiming them babies towards me, I don't_ want_ to care. But oddly, I do. And God help me if it's not sexy as hell seeing her all riled up like that. This could actually prove to be fun.

"Are you crazy?!" she squeaks, placing both hands on her hips. "Why in the ever loving fuck did you do that?"

I roll my eyes, brushing past her towards my bike. "You damn sure didn't try and stop me."

She scoffs. "I claim insanity then, because I sure as hell didn't want it!"

That makes me pause, coming to a halt merely centimeters away from my Harley. And, admittedly, that confession kind of stung. But a smile slowly pulls at my lips as I turn around to face her.

Oh, yeah. This is going to be fun.

I take a step towards her. She takes one back. I stop, trailing my eyes up and down her body, studying her thoroughly and slowly. "Then tell me why your skin is _red_ and _flustered._ Why your eyes have _dilated_ three sizes _bigger._ Why your _body_ is trembling with _want_." In saying all of this, I continue my slow journey in her direction until I have her pinned against the club's exterior walls.

Her chest rises and falls with the change in tempo of her short breaths. I smile, satisfied that I affect her in this way even though her boyfriend just walked away moments ago. I'm sure if I weren't taking this damn medicine JT has been shoving down my throat, that I could smell her arousal and hear her erratic beating heart.

And for a moment I wish that I could.

I place my hands on either side of her head, caging her in. She's trapped like a wild animal. Like prey for the predator lurking around my soul. I look down towards our hips, which are now pressed together. She gasps, and I look back up again to hold her gaze with my own. Our bodies are so close together right now that not even a damn piece of paper could slide in between us.

I know that I should stop right now before I do or say something I'll later regret—and I _will_ regret this. But I'm too far gone at this point that I can't even think straight. All control has been lost. I'm no longer Vincent in this moment, but instead, I'm Beast, the cold-blooded killer without so much as a flinch. I'm the animal, and it's craving to loose itself inside of Erica Barker.

"Tell me, Erica." My voice is husky. "If I touched you where you need it, would I find you wet? If I kissed you right now, would you reciprocate, or hit me?"

"I—No!" She stutters. She can't even come up with a coherent sentence. And I know right then that I have her where I want her. Where _Beast _wants her.

I tilt my head to the left, leaning in closer to her mouth as I speak again. The breath of each syllable hitting her lips. "I've been with a lot of women over the years._ A lot_. So I know a horny woman when I see one. You bare all of the signs."

"Fuck you!" she seethes, shoving me. And I love it. I _really_ love riling Miss Barker up. It's turning me on and I can't even explain it. I want to say that it's because I need some type of release. Some way to gain back control that had been lost in the day's events. It's an unfamiliar feeling that's boiling down deep within my stomach.

"I'm sure you'd like that, wouldn't you, Erica?" Her eyes grow wide, and her upper lip pulls back in a snarl. She advances her open palm towards my face, but I catch it before impact, forcing a whimper out of her lips. And it just does the trick to snap me back to the reality of what I've just done to her.

I want to take back every word that I've said now. Hell, I wish I never said them. But as I stare at her tear stained eyes, I instantly snap out of it and pull back as if I've been touched with a scalding iron. My features soften, and I scan her over quickly. I reach out to touch her in comfort from my harsh, crude words. But she pulls back, trying her damnedest to sink into the wall.

_Away from me._

I swallow hard as I glance over in the direction of where Jonas had left suddenly fifteen minutes prior to my conversation with Erica. I want to apologize to her, but the words never make it to the surface.

Taking a few more paces back, I drop my arms down to my sides and sigh, remorseful. Regret registers in my system. "You better go take care of that." is all I say before turning on my heels and making my way over to my bike.

I don't sneak another glance in her direction as I take off into the direction of my home. I no longer worry about her coming home with me now, even though I've claimed her to be mine in front of my brothers. I don't care about the consequences of my actions today, neither. Because if Erica were smart, she would get out of Falling Spring. And fast. Never to return again.

I _do_ care about her just like I would care about_ any_ innocent person. I blame most of what I've done for her, since she arrived in our small town, on the little voice in my head that sounds a lot like my dead wife.

Except for the last conversation.

I blame that on the primal part about me. The part that hardly ever comes out because I always shove it back with the medicine. But this time, the damn monster managed to take at least a peek into the outside world. For _her._ Erica.

And I have no clue why.

* * *

After I arrive home, I call JT and tell him about the conversation with Erica and how out of control I felt in that moment. Granted, the guy has helped me out a lot over the years to control it._ But now?_ I have to wonder what brought on the sudden appearance of my biggest enemy.

_Had it been because I were stressed?_

Most of the day had been stressful, so I have to believe that that were the reason behind it all. Then again, I did just take medication for it that should have kept the monster at bay. It always helped before. So this is all a little strange and new to me.

Then it hits me...

Maybe the medicine lost some of its power when I started drinking beer? And when you add in the constant stresses of my brothers' actions today, blended with the fact that I had been interrupted doing the one thing that had become a ritual for me... Well then, you have one huge disaster as the results. And JT fully agreed.

After I ended the call, I took a hot shower and later grabbed a few beers to drink on my couch. It didn't take long before my eyes started to close. Honestly, I was beyond exhausted. But the moment my eyes fully closed, entered the vision of a man I once called my brother. A man who's death still haunts me just as much as Alex and Olivia's.

Only, this time when he invades my sleep, I jolt awake to the sound of his voice as he dies in my arms. Zach _never _spoke to me before his death. And this would be the first time he ever spoke to me in my sleep.

Two words that will forever more be burned into my soul. And it would prove to be that sleep would never come to me again in the night, or for many nights after.

"_Protect her._"

* * *

_**Catherine POV**_

"Excuse me?"

That would be Jonas. I knew that he wouldn't understand my reasoning when I decided to come clean with why I'm really here.

After Vincent left me, still leaning against the building of Katz, my phone pinged with a text from Jonas giving me information of a hotel over in Julia, a city about thirty to forty-five minutes away from Falling Spring.

When I arrived, Jonas had already started on a bottle of Jack, drinking most of it except for maybe a small glass. His eyes were tired and defeated and his clothes were a mess along with his hair where he had been running his hand through it furiously. He seemed very calm, but I knew deep down he was angry with me.

But I had also been pretty angry with him for dropping in on me like this, too. _What if he'd given my identity away?_ Then all of this would have been for nothing, and Jonas and I would be lying in a ditch somewhere in the middle of nowhere. At least, I'm grateful that he hadn't done that. But still. He shouldn't be here. He's only been around an hour tops and he's already holding me back from the task at hand.

I had explained to him that whatever he saw meant nothing to me. That this all were a part of job I had been desperate to take on for years since my brothers sudden and unfortunate death. Even though I'm being honest. I hardly know anything about the Vincent I see now.

Tonight's events proved that factor to me and opened my eyes in a lot of ways. Vincent doesn't care about anyone but himself. He doesn't care who he hurts to get his way. But more importantly, I saw the pain in those beautiful, haunted brown eyes that made the man I see today. He's lost a piece of his humanity, and it kills me to not know what tiny detail took that life away from him.

I continued to tell Jonas about my whole past. About Zach, my mother. And then my father's death, not once leaving out anything in the hopes that maybe he would understand my deep craving for revenge.

But he _didn't._

"Look, I don't expect you to understand—"

"So make me understand, Catherine. Because honestly, this all sounds ridiculous to me."

I flinch back. _Ridiculous?_ "How could you say that?" my voice, a weak whisper as tears fog my vision.

"Because that _bastard_ nearly had his lips locked on yours. And what's more? You didn't even move _away_ from him. That hurts, Cat." he pauses, taking another drink from his glass. "How long has this been going on? The entire time you've been here?"

"No."

"Does this happen every time you take off for a mission? Have you been cheating on me the whole time, Catherine?"

I flip him the bird, directly in his fucking face. "Fuck you, Jonas! How _dare_ you accuse me like that. Besides, his lips barely touched mine."

He sighs. "Great. That makes me feel helluva lot better." he says sarcastically as he rolls his eyes.

I pinch the bridge of my nose as I begin pacing the room. This isn't going as I had expected. "Look, I'm sorry. I don't know what even brought that on in the first place. He'd been so nice to me up until tonight and I honestly don't know why. He knew about you, too. He knew about us." I walk up to Jonas and place my hand on his bicep, but he shrugs me off. "Will you please talk to me? Tell me how you feel."

He laughs, but not in the joking kind of way. More like a huff of frustration. "How I feel, huh?" he turns to face me, sitting his glass down. "I fell that maybe you need to pack your shit and come home with me. You need to put an end to this freak show. Before you get yourself killed."

I shake my head. "No. I—I can't. Not now. I'm close, I can feel it. Just—Just give a week. I'm sure I'll—"

"Catherine," his voice is starting to sound as tired as he seems. Weak, and cracked and nearly a whisper. He plops down onto the bed, grabbing his satchel bag; the one he always takes with him no matter where he goes, and reaches inside. "Do you love me?"

"Yes." My brows furrow. _What is he getting at? _"Yes, of course I do. Jonas, if you're worri—"

"Then prove to me that I can trust you. Show me that you belong to me and I'll give you all of the time in the world to make your brother's death right." he interrupts, pulling a royal blue velvet box from the front zipper of his bag. "I bought this about a year ago, but, I never had the guts to approach you with it." he murmurs without looking up at me.

I can't breathe. I can't even think straight right now. I mean, sure I love him. But not enough to marry him. All I can do at this point is shake my head, covering my mouth as tears threaten to pour out. "Oh my God. You're serious?"

He stands, slowly walking in my direction until he's right in front of me. His eyes are glued to mine, but I can't hold his gaze. I look away. But he doesn't let me and hooks a finger under my chin, pulling my head up. "I've never been more serious about anything in my life. I want to marry you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Wake up to your face. Go to sleep with you in my arms. I want this. Us. I want it all, Cat. We've been together for a long time, now. I'm only sorry that I hadn't asked sooner."

I shake my head again as my tears begin to fall. I can't do this to him. I can't lie to him anymore. So I tell him the truth.

Cupping his cheek, I sniffle with a forced smile. His eyes soften as he leans into my touch, placing his hand over mine, holding it there. "Jonas." I nearly choke out. "I can't marry you. I love you. I really do, but I'm just not ready for that type of commitment right now. I'm sorry."

His hand drops, and so does his heart. Into a million pieces. It reflects through his eyes.

"I'm sorry." I repeat myself, dropping my own hand down to my side. He smiles, but its a watery one as his head turns toward the wall. He can't look at me now, and that stings. But it's better this way even though he may not think that statement to be true.

Reaching down, he grasps my hand and pulls it up to his lips, kissing my knuckles gently. "Then I have no choice but to let you go, then."

"Jonas, I—" I want to apologize, but I don't want to make this anymore hard on him. Jonas really is a good guy. I just can't see myself spending the rest of my life with him.

"Maybe one day, Catherine Chandler. One day." he says, placing the velvet box into my palm, closing my fingers around it. "If you ever change your mind, the offer still stands."

He releases my hand and walks over towards the door, his shoulders slumped in defeat. With a sigh he opens the door, not looking in my direction.

"Jonas." I really hate hurting him. It's breaking my heart.

"Just go. I need some time alone before I head out in the morning." he still won't look at me. "I'll cover for you back in New York until you're ready to come back. Take all the time you need. Just..." he pauses, turning to face me. His eyes have gone cold and I feel horrible for making them that way. "Just promise me you'll stay safe."

"I can't leave you like this. I—"

He shakes his head. "I'll be fine. Really. I just need time to process this."

I nod, licking my lips. "I'm sorry, Jonas." I lift up on my toes and kiss his cheek. Cupping his face, I smile as I wipe away a silent tear from his eye with my thumb. "You're truly a great guy. Anyone can see that about you."

He shrugs. "Just not the one who matters."

I sigh. "I hope you can forgive me."

He nods.

And that was the last time I saw Jonas in Falling Spring, West Virginia.

* * *

I enter my motel room with the plan to soak away the events of the day. But I never make it to the bathroom when I hear a rustling coming from behind me.

My body goes stiff with the realization that I'm not alone. My eyes wide and my heart pounding raw, deep within my chest. I wrap my fingers around my pistol, which is laying on the night stand in front of me where I had put it upon arrival.

But I lower it the moment I spin around to face my intruder, seeing as it's Knox. I sigh with relief. "You know, this is becoming a ritual with you breaking and entering."

He smiles, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes.

I place my gun back onto the night stand, removing my shoes. I walk over to the mini fridge and pull out a bottle of vodka, shaking it at him in way of asking if he'd like a drink. He nods, and I grab us each a glass and sit them on the table to pour our drinks. "So what brings you here on this unexpected visit? Again."

I take a sip of my drink, sitting across from his at the table like I had done the first time. He stands, rummaging through a satchel, similar to Jonas', which brings back the memory of tonight and how crushed he looked when I left.

I finish the remains of my drink in two gulps, welcoming the burn of tonight's poison, then pour me another glass. Fuller this time.

Knox pulls out a manilla folder, but it's about two inches thick and a pinkish rubber band is stretched around the folder to keep it together. He places it in the middle of the table, keeping his palm on top of it as if to guard it. "This is your brother's criminal history dated back from the moment he first joined that God forsaken MC."

I look down at it, and freeze.

"This also holds his death certificate and the police report, followed by the investigation reports that eventually went cold on his murder. Now," he sits back in his chair, scooting the folder over on his side of the table, taking a drink of his vodka. I look up at him with wide eyes. "This wasn't easy for me to put together. I had a few run-ins with the towns lead investigator when it came to this particular case. So, I'm proposing a little favor in return for this."

I don't hesitate to respond. "Yes, of course."

"There's a huge drug hit coming up in the next couple of weeks with another MC from South Carolina."

My eyes widen, and I jump up from my chair. I can already guess what this mission is all about. "I can't. Not right now, anyways. The club has already accused me of putting their guys away. Hell, I don't even know if I still have a job at Katz now or not because of it. Things had got pretty bad today and I'll need some time to get back into their good graces."

He nods. "I already know. You see, I have a rat sitting in the club as we speak. I won't mention his name, but he's the reason I've come to know about this next party. But he needs a little break for a while. Which is where you come in." he pauses. "I'll give you three days to get back in the game. And, if you do this for me, not only will you get this," he lifts the folder and shakes it before returning it back into his satchel, "I may even throw in some cash for your troubles."

I nod, but I have a really bad feeling about this whole situation. "Deal."

He smiles. "Good." Heading for the door, he pulls his hood up over his head, then leaves without another word.

* * *

Come morning, I'm awakened by the sound of three pounds on my door. Groaning, I pull the covers over my head more and try to go back to sleep. Perhaps if I stay quiet, they'll just go away. But that isn't the case at all as three more knocks sound at the door.

Rolling my eyes, I sit up and check my phone for the time, realizing that it's eight in the morning.

_Yay, me!_

"Alright, alright! I hear you!" I shout towards the door as I get up out of bed and grab my robe. "_Jeez_!"

After I finally took a bath last night, I just went straight to bed without putting on anything. I was just too tired to even care.

Tying the sash, I make my way towards the door, opening it. But I would much rather like to slam the door in this particular person's face than to hear another word come out of his mouth.

"What are you doing here?"

Vincent finally looks up. He looks horrible, if I'm being honest. His eyes look slightly bruised with the evidence of a sleepless night. His hair is wild as if he'd been lost in thought most of the night, running his hands through it and possibly pulling it. And he's... _wait, is that coffee he's holding?_

"I was in the area..." _how cliché... _"getting coffee when I saw your truck sitting in the parking lot. I didn't know if you had left or not with your boyfriend, so I stopped by to see for myself."

I nod, slowly, ignoring the fact that Jonas had been brought back up. His voice sounds just as rough as he looks. I step back and wave my hand towards the inside of my motel room, clearing my throat. "Would you like to come in?"

"No, I—" he struggles to find his words, but I wait for him to continue. "I just wanted to come by and say that I'm really sorry for how I acted yesterday. There's no excuse for how I acted, but I want you to know that that wasn't me. I mean, it was _me_, but it _wasn't_. And now, I'm rambling like a damn idiot because I honestly don't know how to do this whole _graveling thing._"

I smile, and it's genuine. "No, no. It's okay. I forgave you last night." I laugh.

_Liar_.

"Look, I said some things; did things to you yesterday that were unacceptable and rude and I was hoping that maybe you would allow me to apologize over a meal tonight if you're not busy. I mean, I would take you to eat right now, but I have a few clients to deal with today—"

"Clients?"

He nods. "I'm an architect." he explains. "I design homes and stuff. Do a little remodeling sometimes, but mainly I build homes."

"Oh." This is becoming a little awkward, considering I'm standing naked in a robe at the door. I decide that I need to give him an answer so that we can speed things up a bit. "Uhm, well if I still have a job at Katz, I'll be free around seven tonight."

His eyes grow stern and serious. "You still have a job at Katz if you want it. You did nothing wrong to lose it. And if they give you any problems, they can take it all up with me."

Which reminds me... "So, how are we going to do this now. The whole living arrangement thing. Now that I'm staying, I assume that I still have to move in with you?"

He studies me for a moment before sighing deeply. "Why _are you _still here, Erica?" his voice is low, almost a whisper. And I shiver because the memory of that same voice last night at the club had done something to me that I can't even explain.

I swallow hard. "Uhm—_ahem_—well, uh... Jonas and I decided that it would be best if we went in different directions for a while."

"Please tell me I didn't cause this."

"No. You didn't. It's just..." I trail off, shrugging. "He wants more, but I can't give it to him. I'm not ready for that type of commitment. With anyone."

Vincent nods in understanding. "So, here you are."

"Here I am." I smile, raising my eyes to meet his gaze.

"Well, we can discuss it over dinner then. I have to take off, for now. But I'll swing by the club around six-thirty, six forty-five to pick you up." he says.

Still smiling, I nod my head again. "Sounds good."

"Yup."

And now things are _definitely _awkward between us. He still has yet to walk away, and I have yet to close the door. We're just standing there staring at each other as if we were long lost friends, or old lovers, meeting again for the first time in a long while.

His eyes lower down to the seam of my robe, trailing down then back up again. He swallows hard, making his Adam's apple bob up and down, and the apex of my thighs to clench. He breaks the silence by clearing his throat. "I'll see you later, Erica." and with that he walks off as if we hadn't shared a moment of intimacy in my doorway.

And that really bothers me. The fact that he can affect me so easily and force shockwaves of electricity throughout my bones, bothers me. I shouldn't feel this way for him.

In fact, now that I think of it, _why on Earth did I ask him if our living arrangement w__as__ still on?_ This is the man who nearly debased me in the middle of a very public; very busy place. And what's worse is that my boyfriend of three years had caught a glimpse of it. Thank God he didn't stick around, because he would have blown his stacks if he were to see another man talking to me the way Vincent had spoke to me.

But I feel so confused. I've never been the type to cheat on my boyfriends. _Ever._ But there's something about bad boys that gets me off. And honestly, Vincent would be the ultimate one on that list.

_But you can't! You're not here for a relationship, you're here for revenge! Get your fucking head back into the game and erase Vincent Keller from your memory!_

* * *

That tiny voice in my head continued that mantra for the remainder of the day. Although I had expected to be fired from Katz after everything that went down yesterday, I still have a job. Only now, I'm teamed with JT behind the bar. Nothing more. Nothing less.

According to Mike when he'd pulled me back into his office to speak to me about the changes, he told me that for the sake of his MC, it would be best if I lay low and, _'Keep your 'lil ass behind the bar and don't come out for anythin', got me?'_.

I'm not allowed out from the bar unless I'm pissing. And even with that rule in place, if I can hold it, I should. I'm not allowed to speak to any of the MC or their guests other than to ask if they need a refill. But on the bright side, I have JT and Tess' company until my shift is over. So, can't complain too much there. What sucks the most is I can't get close to any of the members. Which means, I'll have to talk to Henry when I get a chance to so we can come up with another plan to take the Ryders down another way.

Apparently the club whores got a whiff of what happened to me yesterday and how Vincent claimed me. Not one of them have spoken to me. And I have yet to see an expression on their faces besides the look of death. You know the saying. If looks could kill, I'd be overkilled right now. Especially where Tori Windsor is concerned.

On my first bathroom breaks, mainly because I could no longer hold my bladder, I made my way inside to relieve myself. But as I came out of the metal stall, Tori was standing there at the door waiting for me; blocking me in. I didn't even give her the time of day and began washing my hands without a look nor a word in her direction.

She had a different plan, of course, and huffed as she came over towards me.

Shutting the water off, I finally face her. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, in fact, you'd do better if you stayed away from Vincent. I don't know _what in the hell_ he see's in you, but you _don't _belong here. _I do_."

I snort. I'm sorry, but I can't help myself. This is hilarious.

"I've clawed my way to the top and yet I'm still being brushed off like a piece of shit nothing! But, you? All you've done is nothing but stand there and look pretty with your city slick talk and your bitch ass walk. And he chose you? _Ha!_ What a comedic tragedy, you are."

I smile, but it's more humorous than anything. Honestly, I'm not about to waist my time listening to this hussy put me down because of a fake relationship between me and the VP.

_Fuck. That! _

_And fuck her, too!_

I sidestep around her with a whispered, "Excuse me." But I should have known that this wasn't over for her.

The moment my hand pushes the door open, a shot of pain enters the back of my scalp. I scream out in shock as she yanks me backwards into the floor by my hair, then proceeds to wag her long, boney finger in my face. "This isn't over until I say it is, bitch! And it won't be over until I finish you, once and for all."

She lunges at me, but not fast enough. My police training instantly kicks in and I shove both of my feet up in the air right when she reaches me and throw her over my body into a heap on the floor behind me. I'm sure the whole club is aware of a fight in the ladies room by now, if her loud banshee shriek of pain was any indication. I expect someone to come barging in soon.

By the time I make back up on my feet, she advances on me with a scream, grabbing me by my throat and shoving me up against the wall with a oomph. She pulls me towards her, then slams my head against the wall. Then again, and again twice more. I'm unable to do much at this point because I'm slowly losing oxygen to my brain with how tight she has my throat. But when my hand moves wildly, searching for something to knock her off of me, I finally wrap my fingers around the paper towel holder and yank it with all my might completely off the wall, hitting her square in the temple.

She instantly releases my neck, and I take a huge gasp of air as I fall to my knees on the floor. From what I can see, Tori will be out for quite a while. I take the next couple of moments to regain my breathing back to normal before I return back to my duties by leaning back against the wall across from Tori's sleeping form. I'm surprised that nobody has come inside here yet looking for either of us, but am glad for the brief silence to think about what I'll have to tell Mike about her.

Suddenly, I'm hit with a burning pain in my left arm, in between my shoulder and elbow. My eyes dart open at the same time as I shriek in pain, only to see Tori barely holding herself up off the floor with a nail file shakily wrapped in her palm and in the air, prepared to make another hit.

I kicked her away, sliding up the wall to get to my feet. That's when the second blow goes into my rib cage. I didn't want to have to hurt this woman, but now she's left me no choice in the matter. I swing my foot back and kick her as hard as I can in her stomach. Once. Twice. Three times before she stops moving altogether.

I stumble out into the hallway in search of Tess, holding my left hand on my rib cage, and my right one on my arm. I'm hoping that she can assist me in finding a first aid kit because the warmth of blood is steadily coming out and I'm starting to feel a little weak from the constant loss. It doesn't much hurt anymore, but I blame that on the fact that this isn't the first time I've been stabbed. Damn sure won't be the last.

Slowly, my body begins shutting down and it's now that I realize that I can't get much of a breath out. By the time I make it to the end of the hall, I'm weezing and my vision has went a little foggy; seeing doubles everywhere. I come to a halt, trying to regain focus, but it's of no use. It's becoming worse. My body starts feeling heavier and weaker by the minute, and I lean back into a hard surface. I think it's the wall, but I'm not sure.

At least, that's until I collapse into a pair of strong arms, slowly wrapping around my waist, swinging me up in the air. I know because it feels like I'm flying. I never get the chance to see the guy's face, because within seconds, everything goes completely dark.

* * *

_****Another short chapter, I know. I know. I wanted to make it longer, but things never turned out that way lol. Turns out that cliffys help me to continue on quicker than if I didn't use one. How strange is that? Anyways, I hope you all liked that installment. Next chapter we move in with Vincent. Yay! How exciting! Lol! You all know what to do. Please review and let me know your thoughts. Thanks! Until next time, Beasties ;)**_

_**ALSO...**_

_**No pins on Pinterest... yet lol.**_

_**And, I have a closed group meant for my fanfiction updates on Facebook, so if you want to join the group, it can be found under **TiffanyNida69 Fanfiction Group**. All of my updates can be found there.****_


	11. Ch 10 - Roomies

****Disclaimer: ****Although I own the rights to this story, I do not own BATB or it's characters.****

****Summary:********(AU) – Catherine Chandler lost her brother, Zach, to The Ryders MC biker club as a young child. All grown up, she is New York's favorite undercover officer and PI. Once she takes her vacation, her work doesn't stop there. She returns to Falling Spring, West Virginia where it all began, to exact revenge on the biker gang. What she doesn't bargain for is Vincent, also known as Beast—the newly-elected vice-president of the gang and Zach's best friend. When Catherine and Vincent come face-to-face, the sparks are immediate, and Catherine finds herself torn between exacting vengeance for her shattered past, and an uncertain future in the arms of a biker bad boy.****

****Warning: ********This story contains explicit language, graphic sexual adult content, gang violence, and drug usage. If you DO NOT wish to read any of the named above, then I advise that you not read this story at all.****

****A/N: Dear God, how long has it been? Ages? Good gracious! Lol. I apologize for the long wait. Please, forgive me! I hope you all are ready for this chapter...****

****Because things are about to get risky ;)****

****Enjoy, peeps! Love yal!****

**_**-Chapter 10—Roomies-**_**

**_**Vincent POV**_**

The steaming water of my shower rolls in hot rivulets down my back as I replay the past hour through my head.

How did things get so out of hand so quickly? Erica hasn't been here, what...? Two weeks? And, hell, she's already made enemies? And with a club whore of all people?

__Jesus!__

I mean, what the hell was Tori thinking? Has she lost her ever loving mind? I have never, in the years that I've known her, seen her so reckless and cruel. And I've never seen the bitch as anything other than a club whore. You see, that's the thing about Tori. She loves what she does for the MC, even if that means taking every dick into every hole in her body. Now I don't mean to be crude here, but as the saying goes, honesty is simply the _best _policy.

And another thing, if only to make things more perfectly clear to everyone.

Victoria fucking Windsor will __never__be my __anything___._

In fact, I can honestly say that I will never have another ole' lady again. A real one, at least. I just don't see myself permanently with anyone besides Alex.

And she's dead...

….because of me.

But then again, Erica could...

__No___._ I can't think like that. There is no replacing Alex. I couldn't.

I fucking won't!

__Fuck!__

I need to shake the thoughts of my dead wife away before things get out of control again. Especially since here lately, I've found it quite difficult to dominate my inner beast. Oddly, I started losing control when this Erica character showed up. Because that's when I felt the sudden, unexplainable rush of needing to keep her safe.

But...__why?__

Why do I feel this primal wave of need whenever I'm around the mysterious woman?

The only answer that seems to justify my recent reactions to the stranger who is currently unconscious in my house, is the fact that my beast feels this powerful sense of possession over her.

And whatever he feels, _I feel._

Whether I like it or not.

Which I don't.

At least, I don't think I do. Perhaps my beast is trying to intercept my outlook on that as well. Who knows. All I know is, that I have to put a stop to it; to put a stop to__him __before people get hurt.

He snarls at my thoughts of detaining him.

__Good, you raging bastard. How do you like me now?__

Looking down at my trembling, blood-stained hands, I swallow hard as the realization of what had transpired tonight finally catches up to me. Seeing Erica like that...

__Christ!__

Seeing her all battered and bloody... it was as if I had overdosed on a bottle of deja vu. The whole time—from the moment I brought her unconscious form into my kitchen and laid her on the table, JT fast on my heels with his medical bag, to the part where JT ripped her shirt open and made me hold pressure to her wound to temporarily stop the bleeding while he prepared to clean and stitch the wound—all I could see lying on my table was my dead wife.

That's when I started to brake out into a sweat.

Although Erica's hair was a perfect blend of chestnut, red, and blond, Alex's was purely a perfect shade of auburn. Where Erica's skin was smooth and lightly tanned, Alex's was fair and she had cute little freckles dusting across her nose.

But in that moment, Erica had lost so much blood that her skin began to pale. Almost looked like death with the way dark rings slowly formed around her beautiful blue eyes.

And there was so much. Fucking. Blood.

In her hair. Soaking parts of her clothes. On her face and body; a deep ruby contrast compared to her now paling complexion. Her lips that were once a soft pink in color, had shifted into more of a bruised purplish-blue.

Breathing became harder and harder as my gaze traveled her entire body that would look lifeless right now if it weren't for the rise and fall of her chest as she continued breathing.

And through the process of seeing Erica like this; of having flashbacks to a time I wish I could forget, I felt something—although, slightly—course through my veins at the sight of this woman on my kitchen table.

I wanted revenge.

I would rip Tori's fucking heart out and make her eat it for breakfast.

I would...

__What the hell is wrong with me?___!_

I don't even know the first thing about this woman, yet I feel like it's my duty to carry out the punishment on anyone who dares to hurt her...?

__No__.

This is completely insane!

I'm going insane.

So insane that I could actually hear Erica's heart beat.

Wait...

__Th-thump... Th-thump... Th-thump!__

Okay, I may not be the expert here when it comes to anti-beast medication, but I know for a fact that that's not supposed to happen. At. All.

Oh, for fucks sake!

Did I forget to take my medicine today?

No. I took it alright. Just like I've been taking it every day for the past couple of years, three times a day.

Maybe I should up my dose or something. Maybe I'm becoming resistant to the drug.

__Maybe you need to stay the hell away from Erica so little mishaps like this don't happen again.__

Yeah. Maybe I should.

__But how would I protect her if I distanced myself?__

More blood gushed when JT took the needle through Erica's skin, and that was about all I could take for one night. So, as JT finished stitching her up, I took off to my bedroom where I carelessly started tossing my clothes off and headed to my private bathroom to shower.

With a quick wash of my body and hair, I turn off the shower and dry off, wrapping the towel around my waist before exiting into my bedroom.

The bedroom which houses my bed.

Where Erica is now sleeping peacefully.

What the ever loving fuck...?

I glance over at JT, who is now sitting prescription pill bottles onto the nightstand. I take the time to grab a pair of gray sweats and a navy t-shirt and black briefs, dressing quickly as possible back in the bathroom. My best friend and brother in the MC is in the kitchen cleaning up the mess when I enter the room.

"She'll live," JT answers the unspoken question drifting through my head. "Although, she may be sore for about a week. Maybe two, tops. I've given her a shot of morphine for the pain and to help her rest, and I've left her a couple bottles of pain medication next to her on the bedside table. Her arm is in a sling for the first week so she doesn't rip out the stitches on her side, so make sure she doesn't strain herself or do anything that would be a risk of opening the wound. She can take a shower tomorrow, if she wakes up..."

"If?"

"...but for now she needs rest. And once she wakes up, she'll need plenty of nourishment to help build her strength back up."

I nod, a sigh of relief pouring out of me and making my beast calm. "Night cap?" I ask, sitting a bottle of Jack onto the kitchen counter.

"Sure. Why not?" he mumbles, his voice giving away how tired he is.

Clearing my throat, I begin pouring our drinks. "I need to talk to you about upping my dose of medication."

"Already?"

I hesitate for what seems like an eternity, merely seconds, before turning and handing him a tumbler filled to the rim. "Yes."

And now I need to get the hell out of the kitchen for a while. So I head into the living area, sitting down on the arm of my couch.

"When did you want to try to up the dosage?"

I sigh, finishing off my drink. "Tomorrow, if possible. Immediately, actually."

He nods, finishing his drink as well. "Can't tomorrow. With Erica out of commission until she's healed, I'll be taking over her shifts, tomorrow included." he rolls his eyes on a rough sigh. "I'm off the day after if that'll work out for you?"

"Perfect. The sooner, the better."

JT stares at me, as if examining me. And trust me, I know that look because he gives it to me every time I'm over at his place doing those stupid tests. "Why are you so determined all of a sudden? Did something happen? Any... freak-out's?"

I nod, glancing towards the direction of my bedroom.

The direction where a beast-virgin is sleeping, but I still don't want to talk about this here with her around, just in case. "We'll talk about it later. Right now, you need to get back home. Do you need a ride?"

"Oh. No. Tess is on her way and should be here in a few minutes."

I nod. "Thanks again, JT. For helping me out. Man, I don't know what I'd do without you." I say as we enter a back-slap—also known as a 'manly hug'—and then JT is out of the door and I'm placed into complete silence.

Walking back into the kitchen, I place our glasses into the sink and grab the bottle of whiskey off the counter before making my way out onto the porch for a smoke.

Man, it's peaceful out here, you know?

Chilly, but peaceful.

And it's simply a beautiful place out here in seclusion.

I can't help but to wonder what Alex would think of living out here if she had the chance. Would she love it as much as I do? Hate it? Somewhere in between?

I know Olivia would have loved living here. I can picture her right now, giggling as she ran through the front yard, catching fireflies into a mason jar. Alex would be smiling at how happy our daughter would be.

But all of that is wishful thinking.

Not reality.

Not anymore.

With a roar, I throw the whiskey bottle up against the closest tree. As if in slow motion, the glass bottle shatters into a million tiny little pieces, almost like my heart when I think about the what ifs.

I'm pissed off now, so I should just go to bed.

Only, I can't because Erica is sleeping in there.

__Not that you sleep in your bed anyways, dipshit!__

Taking one last drag off my cigarette, I put it out in the ashtray before walking back inside to grab a couple of blankets and a pillow. Considering I'm not in the mood to take a walk down memory lane with Alex tonight, it lookks like I'lol be sleeping in the guest room.

But as I walk up the stairs, I feel the need to check in on Erica. I mean, it's the right thing to do, so why not? Opening my bedroom door, I walk over to the bed—cause I gotta make sure that she's breathing—and pull the blanket up a little bit because she looks cold. But at the same time, she looks peaceful.

And despite the rumble match she had with Tori, she looks beautif...

__NO! Stop it!__

Telling myself that it's wrong to look at her any longer, I finally make my way across the hall, leaving my bedroom door open, as well as the guest room door, just in case she wakes up or something. JT said for her to take it easy, after all, and I want to be sure that I hear her when she wakes up.

That night I have the same nightmare I normally have on most nights with the terror that haunts me every single day.

But this time, the woman I dream about...

…..is not my wife.

* * *

**_**Catherine POV**_**

My eyes pop open to the sound of shattering glass from a distance. On instinct in case of a break in, I rise from the bed in search of my gun, only, the bedside table that I'm swiftly reaching towards is not the same as the one I'm used to seeing the motel. In fact, as I glance around the room I'm lying in, none of this furniture is familiar at all. I've never seen anything like it. Everything looks to be hand made, from the beautiful bed I slept in to the dressers and side tables. I notice that the sun is no where in sight as I glance out the window. But unfortunately, there are no clocks in the room, so I can't really tell what time it currently is, other than it being night.

And now I'm regretting sitting up from the bed as fast as I did because my head is slightly spinning and an ache begins pulsing at both sides of my temples. My side is sore too, I realize. Like really, really sore. It kind of feels like I've been kicked in the same place repeatedly over a million times. My arm seems to be constricted in a cloth-like makeshift sling, keeping it immobile; perfectly still besides my being able to move my hand and fingers.

I'm not sure where I am, or how I even got here. Actually, the last thing I remember is soaring in mid-air before blacking out completely. All, of which, happened after I had an unfortunate encounter with the Wicked Bitch of the West.

So many questions run through my head, making it throb even worse than it had been when I had first awakened. But if I'm going to get any answers, it sure as hell won't be from this bedroom. I guess it's time I pay my mysterious host a visit.

And maybe even explore the premises while I'm at it. I mean, seriously, what could it hurt?

As I come to a stand—slowly, of course—I'm forced to lean on the wall adjacent to the bed. I wince as this movement cause my side to pulse angrily. But I push forward anyways through the pain, limping my way over towards a broad wooden door before opening it with my good arm.

The aroma of food travels to my nostrils the moment the door opens, and my stomach grumbles with need at the smell. God, it smells so good. Perhaps that explains the broken glass that woke me. Maybe someone is cooking...

Or maybe someone _is_ hurt.

At the thought, I make my way down the stairs as fast as my stiff yet sore body will allow me to, following the smells of the kitchen. And the sight that greets me makes me pause and gives away my host's identity.

__Oh, Jesus take the freaking wheel...__

Because Vincent Keller is currently standing in front of the stove stirring something in a pot. Of what, I have no clue. But if I were to guess, it smells like some sort of Italian dish. It smells completely divine and my mouth waters.

"What are you making?" He jumps at the sound of my voice, although it's hoarse and scratchy, spinning around swiftly causing him to knock a half-full Budweiser bottle off of the marble counter and it shatters upon impact to the floor.

"Jesus, you scared the fuck out of me." he hisses, immediately grabbing a roll of paper towels to dry up the remnants of his beer.

I can't help the giggle that escapes me, which soon shifts into a hissing wince because of my sore side. Vincent closes the distance between us with a look of panic painted across his face. His beautiful hazel orbs reflect sincere concern for my well-being.

My heart does this little flip thing because of it, and I hate myself for it.

__Vincent Keller is the enemy. Don't you forget that, Catherine!__

"Why are you out of bed anyway? JT gave specific orders that you shouldn't be doing anything that could cause you to rip the stitches..."

__Wait... what? Stitches?__

Now, I know that Tori cut me and I clearly remember passing out at the club, but was it really that bad? __Was stitches really necessary for just a little cut?__

"Stitches...?" I whisper more to myself, but I know Vincent heard me because he's now standing within two feet from me. And his scent—sandalwood and clean, pure masculinity—intoxicates my senses, making certain parts of me to clench unexpectedly and unwillingly. Slowly glancing upwards, my green eyes—_well, I should say blue considering I'm still wearing contacts_—meet his hazel ones and lock, my body trembling with a sudden need that I just cannot explain.

He mentioned something about JT giving orders of some kind. Does that mean that JT may have also drugged me, considering I needed stitches? Because that is the only way I can explain my feelings right now. Is that I'm high or something. I have to be. Otherwise, my body would be known as a traitorous bitch! And I would hate the damn thing for years to come.

But his eyes are nearly hypnotizing from this view. A combination of green and brown with little flecks of amber. Then I look down to his lips, which are plump, wet from his tongue just recently trailing along the seal of them, and a soft looking. And in that moment I wish I could go back to the time that he first tried to kiss me. I wish, in this moment of need, that he would kiss me just once. Right the fuck now. And maybe, just maybe, I could get over this lustful spell. May my injuries be damned.

And my god...

His tattoo is finally fully on display.

Thick black strips of ink cover his entire left shoulder, which thins and spans out as it elegantly wraps around his bicep before stopping just above his elbow. _Hmmm... and what do people call this type of tattoo? A tribal, maybe?_

_Dear god, forgive me for I have sinned..._

The things I'm thinking about doing to this man right now would make the devil blush.

When I look back up into his now darker, more fierce, dilated eyes, I have a feeling that he feels the same way. But he's fighting it. _God, is he fighting it._ And I realize that I'm not alone in this battle of wrong versus right.

A clearing of throat interrupts our moment from behind me. And as I turn, I see the man that may have saved my life.

_JT..._

And I couldn't feel more relieved to see his presence than I do right now.

"Was I interrupting something... or something?"

"No..." I mutter calmly as Vincent growls out a frustrated, "Yes."

For the first time since I've known him, JT's cheeks redden as he turns away and disappears from the kitchen. "I'll just be waiting in the living room." he calls out.

Without giving Vincent another glance, I turn on my heels to go back to the room I slept in, when Vincent speaks, stopping me in my tracks. "Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes. JT is here to check up on you and he needs to repack the worst wound of them all."

Throughout the entirety of those two sentences, the only word that keeps replaying in my head is _dinner._

__Dinner.__

__Dinner.__

__Dinner...?__

So that means that the complete blackness outside of my window tells me that it's anywhere from ten o' clock at night to anytime after that.

_And this is when he cooks dinner?_

"What time is it?"

Vincent looks a bit embarrassed, but he quickly wipes that emotion off his face when he turns to stir—what I now see is—some sort of tomato sauce. I take that tiny little second before his response to actually take in his appearance. His usual style, black t-shirts and dark jeans, are now replaced with a white tank and gray sweat pants. His hair looks disheveled as always. Wild and messy—_sexy, even_—as if he's been roaming his long fingered hand through it—or maybe somebody else did that for him. His arms are corded in veins; roped with thick muscles—but not too thick.

And that tattoo...

__Oh, sweet baby Jesus!__

"Nearly midnight."

I jump, startled by the sound of his voice while being under such a spell, when I realize that he's now staring right at me. Which means...

__Oh my God!__ He knew I was checking him out. And he's smirking—__smirking, I tell you__—as if he's a parent who just caught his errant child sticking their hand into the cookie jar before supper.

My cheeks heat, and my head drops in embarrassing defeat. I can't look at him now. Not after being caught practically eye-fucking him like a hormonal teenager. __What the ever loving fuck is wrong with me?!__

__The drugs...__

It has to be the drugs.

_Y___es! Of course, it is.__I never took much interest in this man any other time I've been around him—though, I am human, and a female, so I can totally appreciate a sexy man when I see one.

But I still can't look at him. I'm too embarrassed in being caught red handed ogling him from head to toe with my eyes. So, take the opportunity to get as far away from the sexy as sin biker before the 'drugs' force me to climb his bones and do something I know I will regret for days to come.

JT is in the living room where I suspected, reading a book called __Technology for Dummies___._ I'm not quite sure what to do or what to say, so I stick to just sitting next to him on the couch. He closes the book as soon as I do, and all of the questions that previously scanned through my brain return in full force, which reminds me of the damn throb I have yet to take care of.

An awkward silence takes place seconds later, so I decide on thanking him for saving my life.

He waves a hand, a smile forming, as he hands me two little capsule's—assuming that they're for my abusive headache. "Ah, it was nothing. In case you didn't already know, I'm used to stitching up people. Especially since the MC can't really turn to hospital's for help without raging suspicion for situations like these."

That answers one of my questions.

__Only ten thousand more to go, Cat.__

"Honestly, though, if Vincent hadn't found you in the hall of the club when he did, it's hard tellin' if you'd be alive right now. He's the one who came to me for help."

A warmth spreads over my heart for a brief second.

Vincent Keller—murderer, cold-hearted biker that may, or may not have had anything to do with my brother's death—saved me.

That now makes it twice that he's done that. So, I keep that in mind so I can thank him later, too.

Vincent appears from the kitchen, carrying two bottled waters and handing them out to JT and myself. He looks to me briefly before returning back into the kitchen.

Opening the cap of my bottle, I pop the tiny pills into my mouth, tipping my head back and begin guzzling the water down as if I haven't had anything to drink in days.

And JT confirms it as soon as the ridiculous thought runs through my head. "You've been out of it for three days, Erica."

I spit my water out to nothing specific in front of me, but apparently my water ended up on JT's face. He closes his eyes, as if frustrated to no end, yet, holding back as he slowly produces a white handkerchief, wiping his face with it.

__Well, that explains the stiffness and some of the soreness.__

"Oh my God... JT... I-I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen. It's just—"

"Don't worry about it. Wasn't the first time to be spit on, and totally won't be the last time. Anyways," he pauses to take a sip of his own water before continuing, "It's been three days. No worries, though. It's completely normal because your body needed the rest to help you heal. But that doesn't mean you still don't need to rest. And I'm sure you should know not to do anything that can cause your injury to burst open, right? Which also explains the sling. I'm sure you're wondering when you can shower again, as well?"

__Oh, God, yes!__

"Yes."

He clears his throat. "Yes, well. After I clean and repack the gash on your side," he says, lifting my shirt and doing exactly as he says he'll do. And it's really uncomfortable, let me tell you. "I'll tape some plastic over it and leave the supplies for future reference for when you decide to shower. Keep it dry for the remainder of the week, but take off the plastic when you're not showering because it will need some air to contribute to the healing process, especially now that it's already been three days. I'll also show you how to clean and care for the wound, because I'm going out of town with Tess and the kids this weekend. Trust me, Disneyland __cannot __wait as far as the children are concerned. Keep taking the medication I've given you, as needed, and try to relax for the next week or so... _Annnnd_, all done. Any questions?"

__Yeah... ____How ____the hell____ can you breathe afte____r saying all of that____?__"When can I shower?"

"After dinner. Food's ready." Vincent says from behind me. With a curt nod and smile to JT, I stand, following Vincent into the kitchen to sit at a beautiful ornate-carved table with a nice finish to it.

My stomach chooses this time to grumble like a demon, once again. Only, this time, I have an audience to my stomach's screams of agony, and my cheeks heat.

"You staying for dinner, JT?" Vincent asks, placing a plate of delicious looking spaghetti in front of me. __Hell, who am I kidding?__The way my stomach keeps growling like a maniac, I'm sure if a live cow were sitting in front of me, I would devour it like a zombie would do so in a scene of __The Walking Dead__.

__Jesus, I could eat the whole ceramic plate, I'm so fucking hungry right now!__

JT glances at me before returning his eyes back to Vincent. "Nah, I should get back to the club. I'm working late as a part of my new schedule. You know, more hours considering the situation." he waves a hand towards me as way of explaining his 'situation'.

I mouth a tiny "I'm sorry" and JT chuckles with a shake of his head.

"It's no big deal, Erica. What do you think I did before you even came 'round? Sure wasn't sitting on my ass doing jack shit for paper. That's a fact." his smile drifts, and his expression changes to something more serious. "All the more reason ya' better get better because if I have to put up with Dom's drunken ass one more time, I—"

"Thanks, JT." I interrupt with a huge smile on my face. "For everything."

He nods, slapping Vincent on his shoulder as he leaves.

"I should be thanking you too. You know... for, uh, saving my ass back there. Apparently, three days ago." I add with a nervous laugh. "And thank you for your generous hospitality. You really didn't have to do all of this for me."

But, my God, I am totally glad that he did, considering he is one hell of a cook.

__Jesus!__

I start moaning within taking my third bite, and I have to stop myself...

….because Chef Keller is now staring at me with wide eyes, a half-way open mouth, and his fork paused in front of his face.

__Did I do something wrong? Am I eating too fast for comfort?__

I can't help but to feel extremely self-conscious right now with the way he continues staring at me. My face heats and I'm sure it's as red hot looking as it feels right now.

"Sorry." I mumble under my breath, before taking another generous bite, licking the excess sauce off of the corners of my mouth. "It's really good. Thanks."

__Snort! __That is totally the biggest understatement of the year.

In fact, this meal is _better_ than sex... or maybe it's not and I've just been deprived of the sex part for too long to know the difference.

But when I think about it, as I take yet another bite, perhaps all along it has less to do with Vincent's cooking and more to do with not eating the past three days.

__Or was it four? Did I even eat the day of the rumble?__

__Christ!__

"So," Vincent clears his throat, swirling pasta and sauce around his fork before cramming it into his mouth. "You wanna talk about what happened?"

I, too, clear my throat. But mainly it's because I feel pretty uncomfortable right now with his inquisition. And clearly, I have no idea why. I just am.

Maybe I'm just uncomfortable around bikers who kill people without any sense of remorse. Maybe, I'm scared of how he makes me feel in general. Especially knowing that he is the sole reason why I'm even enjoying this meal at all.

"No?" he quirks a brow. From the way he's looking at me, though, he already knows the cliff notes to what really happened and is now asking my side of the story.

"Uhm... pretty much she's a psychopath that really feels the need to let me know that you're claimed. Can you pass the cheese and grater?"

Instead of passing it, he hovers over my plate and grates some Parmesan on my pasta.

"Thank you."

"No problem." he smiles when he sits back down, though it's brief. "Anyways, I feel that I should apologize for her rabid behavior. Tori is, and forever will be, a club whore. She has no claim to me, as you say. She just feels threatened by you, and is jealous because I claimed you and not her, despite being any truth behind my claim. I only did what I felt was right, and I only hope that you scratch my back in return."

"Duly noted." I huff, shoving more food into my mouth. I don't know why that fact pisses me off. But it does. And I feel kind of used because of it even though it's my fault that I'm in this predicament anyways.

He sighs. "In addition, I've already had your stuff packed and brought over here to my house and I took the liberty to turn in your motel key. As we talked about before, and were supposed to talk about before Tori attacked you, you'll be living here, with me."

Instantly, the bite of food I just crammed in my mouth turns to ash with his words.

He did _what?_

My eyes widen in fear because there is a possibility that when I took all of the things involving my true identity over to the house in case more bikers wanted to just pop up at the motel suddenly, that I forgot something. And if Vincent found out...

Oh, shit... I'm fucked, aren't I?

_No way, Kitty Cat. If that were the case, would he still be going through with having you move in with him and still calling you Erica? Pfft! Your identity is still safe. So stop worrying..._

"Erica, are you alright? You look pale."

_Erica... _

_See? You have nothing to worry about. __He doesn't know!_

Instead of voicing my response openly, I nod my head as I take my last bite of food, coming to a stand to take my dish over to the sink. That was a close one... maybe even one of the closest calls I've had so far. And now I'm angry with myself because I don't know how much longer I can take this shit. I'm not sure if I can continue to play this game.

_But you have to! You made a vow and you must keep it now, Catherine. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. _

My hands are still shaking from the scare of being exposed to the MC's VP as I begin washing my dish with angry force when a pair of hands wrap around my wrists from behind me and I stiffen. I swallow hard when I feel his heated breath upon the back of my neck, the tingling sensation from his touch. He takes the plate out of my hand with a heated expression. "I've got this," he whispers into my ear. "Besides, you're supposed to be relaxing. Doctor's orders, remember?"

My sex clinches with how sexy he just made those words sound and my eyes close as a shudder passes through my body. All thoughts of him going through my things and turning in my motel key completely vanish with just the sound of his deep, velvety voice.

__Stop it... Stop it... STOP IT!__

"Thank you." I say, stepping off to the side away from him, but our eyes connect almost instantaneously.

"You're welcome," he says. "Now, please. Sit." I do so and he continues while he prepares to wash dishes. "For the past two nights, you slept in my bed."

_What the holy... _"Excuse me?"

He throws a devious smile over his shoulder before returning back to the task at hand. "No worries, cupcake. I've been sleeping in the guest room across the hall from you. And I'm leaving it up to you on whether or not you want to sleep in my room for the remainder of your stay, or would you rather I move your things to one of the guest rooms?"

__One of them?__

__Jeez, how big is this house?__

I make note that I most definitely need to take a tour of his house, and soon.

"Wherever you want me, is fine." my voice is merely a whisper, and maybe I added a little seduction into the mix to pay him back for being so deliciously hot right now and making me __feel __things that I shouldn't.

He drops a dish into the sink with a clattering thunk and turns to face me. "__Yes___,_" he squeaks, clearing his throat, "Yes, well, I don't mind sleeping in the guest room. Only, I ask that you stay out of the bedroom on the opposite side of the house."

I wait for him to give me an explanation as to why, but he doesn't. And it makes me all the more curious as to what he may be hiding. But I agree to his rules, of course, crossing my fingers behind my back. It's a childish move, I know. But who cares?

He continues washing the dishes, spouting off a list of different rules that—_and I quote_—"I intend for you to abide by them..." and all I can do is agree to his terms. I mean, it is his house. So, his rules.

When he finishes, he leads me upstairs to the adjoining bathroom to the room I'll be sleeping in. Vincent's bedroom, which I haven't forgotten smells like him, by the way.

_And holy cheese on a cracker, his bathroom is huge_.

It's a woman's paradise, to be frank. Even a tom-boyish woman like me. And the shower? It's simply to die for with it's stoned high walls, open entrance and rain shower head hanging from the roof. Kind of reminds me of what a shower would look like in pricey penthouse suite.

And don't get me started on the huge garden tub.

__Oh, I think I'm in love!__

He shows me how to work the shower, something that should be simple, but it's not. A control panel is how you operate this thing and it looks even more difficult with all of the buttons. But, of course, Vincent makes it look simple, pushing only two buttons to turn it on.

"I'll go grab you a couple of towels." he murmurs with a sniff, and I'm thankful for the time I now have alone.

Turning back towards the running shower, I place the hand on my good side onto the wall as support whilst I push off my shoes, one by one, by stepping on the heels. Next are my socks, which I have to sit on the toilet lid to do so with this sling—which I plan to take off next, may my injured side be damned. But I'm discovering how each article of clothing is becoming harder and harder for me to take off.

Reaching the button on my jeans, I attempt to pop it open with one hand. After about four tries, I become frustrated and cautiously pull the sling strap over my head. That's about how far I go because the arm trapped into the make-shift contraption is severely stiff and it makes it difficult to remove the rest of the sling from my arm.

"_Ouch_!" I hiss, when I try to lower my bad arm. I'm about to just get in the shower with my fucking clothes on, when...

"Everything okay?" Vincent asks, startling me..._ again_.

Placing a flat palm onto my chest, my heart going a million miles per second, I finally face the Boogeyman. "Jesus, are you _trying_ to give me a heart attack?"

"Sorry." he smirks, holding out three fluffy white towels. "Soap is already in the shower on the built-in shelf. Do you need anything else? Because I have to return a couple of emails to clients before I turn in for the night."

I think about that question. I mean, it's obvious that I need help undressing. But is this all that I have in a selection for a temporary assistant? Is there not another way of doing this without having a strange man strip me bare?

I swallow hard, hoping my pride and dignity go down my throat as smoothly as possible for what I'm about to say. Because deep down, I know that there are no other options for me unless I want to call a friend, like Tess or Gabi, but I know it would take a damn century for either one of them to get here, and the water has already been on for like five minutes.

"Actually, I do need help."

He looks at me expectantly, waiting for me to finish.

Is he really that clueless? Does he truly think I can undress like this?

"I... Well, I..." _Just spit it out already!_ "I need you to help me take my clothes off."

* * *

_****Well, well, well... how was THAT for a comeback? Got a lot of sexual tension going on in this chapter ;D And trust me, there WILL be plenty more where that came from. I decided that this was a good place to stop (please don't kill me). I promise I will be updating soon, because I am oddly on a roll with my writing lately (knock on wood). Lots of things have inspired me lately, and I'm SERIOUSLY hoping to update Floggers (FSOG Fic) next, now that I've got some of my load off of my shoulders. In case you all knew about my book, I'm delaying the publish date until further notice. Also, FSOG fans, I am going to be uploading a NEW story sometime soon in that category as well. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, because I truly enjoyed writing it. I actually had a little fun with this one. Anyways, leave me a review... they make my day :) Until ****__****next time...****_


	12. Ch 11 - Word From The President

**Disclaimer:**** Although I own the rights to this story, I do not own BATB or it's characters.**

**Summary:**** (AU) – Catherine Chandler lost her brother, Zach, to The Ryders MC biker club as a young child. All grown up, she is New York's favorite undercover officer and PI. Once she takes her vacation, her work doesn't stop there. She returns to Falling Spring, West Virginia where it all began, to exact revenge on the biker gang. What she doesn't bargain for is Vincent, also known as Beast—the newly-elected vice-president of the gang and Zach's best friend. When Catherine and Vincent come face-to-face, the sparks are immediate, and Catherine finds herself torn between exacting vengeance for her shattered past, and an uncertain future in the arms of a biker bad boy.**

**Warning:**** This story contains explicit language, graphic sexual adult content, gang violence, and drug usage. If you DO NOT wish to read any of the named above, then I advise that you not read this story at all. **

**A/N: First of all, Strizi sweetie, I could never be mad at you for pointing out errors (especially big ones as you had picked out) that I needed to fix. Thank you so much for reminding me of those details that I totally forgot. I went back and fixed them and added some things to the last chapter if any of you want to go back and read Chapter 10 again. I may have added around 80-100 characters but for the most part, the chapter is still the same. I will try not to make another error similar to the ones I had in the last chapter, but if I do, please do tell me so that I can fix it immediately :) I'm bad for getting so into it that I forget some pretty important parts to my story(s). **

**Anyways, I am thrilled to share that I had a Guest Writer on this chapter. Heather Sullivan (hcs8780 on Twitter). Thanks babe for all of your help! I lovers you so effin much, my sista from anotha' mister! XOXOXO! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thanks so much for your reviews! You all mean the world to me!**

* * *

_**-Chapter 11—Word From The President-**_

_**Vincent POV **_

"...I need you to help me take my clothes off."

_Did she really just say that or am I daydreaming?_

Turning her head so that her eyes meet mine, she pulls her hair over her shoulder. "I would do it myself, but my arm is too stiff and sore to move it." she says with a coy smile.

_Fuck me!_

It's as if she's trying to drive me crazy... and it's working, too.

When I asked if she needed help with anything else, I honestly didn't think she would have asked me to do...well, _this._

And now I sound like a fucking douche...

Because the poor woman is in a pretty fucked-up situation...

_Great job, Vinny, you jerk! You've just won the ultimate award for World's Biggest Asshole!_

Clearing my throat, I murmur, "Maybe you would feel more comfortable if I called Tess or..."

She shakes her head, glancing over at the shower stall before interrupting me. "The water is already on, in case you forgot. It'll be cold by the time anyone else gets here, and trust me, I prefer my showers to be hot."

"Just making a suggestion because you don't look too thrilled to strip in front of me." Even though I'm beyond thrilled that she asked me to do the honors.

_In fact, I'm fucking rejoicing!_

And no matter what I do or say, no matter how tempting this beautiful woman may be—_and God help me because she is beyond tempting me right now_—she would either end up with a broken heart because I can't give her my own, or she would end up destroying _me_.

Why?

Because this woman may or may not be the next one to bring me down to my knees. And I don't know if that pisses me off or scares me.

Besides, with how my inner beast has been making odd, frequent appearances lately—all, of which, had almost _everything_ to do with _her_ presence—it wouldn't be pretty if I were to 'react' in front of her. I just couldn't live with myself if that was to ever happen. For some reason, I don't want her to look at me like I'm the monster that I know I can be. I want her to keep looking at me like I'm human.

Like she wants me.

But hot damn, despite the inner war I'm having with myself over the rights and wrongs of how I'm feeling, of how my beast is reacting to her, it's getting harder and harder—pun _fully_ intended—to hold back when she keeps looking at me like she wants to jump my bones and eat my face off... although, I can't say that I would protest if she did.

And I don't know whether or not I like that fact either.

She sighs, breaking my thoughts and then drops her head to look at the floor as I continue to stare at her back like a moron instead of responding.

"Can you unhook me?"

Unhook wha... _Ohhhh..._

"Yeah, sure." my voice is half squeek, half whisper when I finally speak. But I can't help it. Even though she's uncomfortable—which I can't blame her, at all—she makes every word she says sound so fucking sexy, that I'm about to snap.

_Lose control._

_Fuck!_

Deep down inside of me, I can feel the beast reaching the end of the proverbial tunnel; nearly to the point of breaking free and he will if I don't gain control over him, and fast. Apparently my up in dosage did no good at all, else I wouldn't be mentally fighting him right now. He wouldn't even be an issue.

Hell, it's been awhile since my inner beast had fully reached the surface...

…..and you already know that that situation didn't end well at all.

With knowing all of this, though, it really has me fucking scared to death. Shaking in my worn, brown leather boots.

He's becoming harder and harder to control with each passing day. It's like the medicine is having hardly any effect on him at all and I've never had any problems with my medicine before—at least, nothing major—until now.

And the only cause of this beastly reaction has Erica's name written all over it.

Slowly, yet timidly, I step forward until my chest is about an inch away from her back, slipping my hands underneath her shirt. I try not to do it, but I can't help myself as I press my palms flat against her flawless, smooth skin. We both gasp, an electric zap shooting from her flesh to my hands, lighting me up like liquid fire racing through my veins.

And I can't help but to wonder if she felt it too.

_Did she feel the zap of electricity? _

_Does she feel that sensual, warm sensation pulsing through her veins right now like I do? _

_Is she trembling as much as I am? _

A million questions run through my head as I slowly inch my hands up her spine until I find her bra clasp. My eyes trail slightly upwards, meeting her gaze in the mirror. Her cheeks have reddened, and her breathing has shifted to soft, tiny pants; her mouth slightly agape making a perfect 'O' and her eyes are hooded and nearly black in arousal.

_Just. Like. Mine._

I swallow hard, and her eyes travel to my throat with the movement of my adam's apple before returning those baby blues back up to meet mine.

She licks her lips.

I lick mine.

I pop the clasp without taking my eyes from hers in the mirror.

And when I think the pressure and pain on my dick can't get any worse, she turns in my arms and kisses me.

I pull her close and dig my hands into each ass cheek as our mouths open, twisting our tongues in a sensuous dance. Her right hand rubs over the top of my bulging pants and I groan, sucking her bottom lip into my mouth before releasing it and pulling away with a 'pop'.

I slowly remove the sling from her left arm, massaging out the soreness before helping pull her shirt up over her head as her bra straps slide off her arms and it falls to the floor, exposing her breasts.

I start a trail of kisses down the nape of her neck, making my way to the perky peaks. Taking the nipple of her right breast into my mouth, slowly yet forcefully I suck it into my mouth, biting down softly onto the pink tip until it's standing at attention.

I fall to my knees, placing soft kisses along the descent when Erica moans. "Please... I need more."

_Fuck yes!_

Kissing her naval, I pop open the button on her pants and slowly remove them, following my hands with soft, open-mouthed kisses. I glance up and our eyes lock. I know without a doubt that the beast has joined me when my ears pick up the sound of her erratic heartbeat; my nose picking up the sweet smell of her arousal. But at this point, I can't even force myself away from her. I need her in a way that I can't explain. My senses are literally consumed by her.

In this moment of pleasure, Erica Barker fucking owns me.

And all I can think is that I want more.

I need more.

And by the end of the night, she'll come so hard that she won't even know her own name. But in the meantime...

Kneeling lower, I push her legs apart as my eyes zero in on her mound, her hands stitching into my hair and pulling as soon as I take my first taste.

"Oh God, Vincent!" Her grip in my hair tightens as she whimpers, which makes my already throbbing member twitch and push so hard against my sweat pants that it's ready to burst right through the damn seam.

Tasting her essence in my mouth, I groan, forcing myself to slowly make my way back up her body to take her lips into another deep kiss. And when I think my cock can't get any harder, Erica places her hand on my chest and slowly moves it back and forth.

_Have mercy..._

I shove down my sweat pants, using my feet to kick them off. Then I rip off my shirt, pulling it by the collar before wrapping my arms around her waist as I slowly start walking us backwards towards the shower.

The hot water flows over our already heated bodies as I devour her mouth. I lean her against the wall, pulling her left leg up to my hip as I pull back, my eyes connecting with hers.

"Vincent." She says my name again only this time it seems different. It's a bit louder, with a tinge of concern. Oh yeah... totally different from the way she moaned it just moments ago when my mouth was feasting on her slit.

"Vincent, are you okay?"

_Shit! _

I snap back to reality to realize I had been daydreaming the whole fucking scene. And while doing so, I had been standing there, staring at her like a fucking moron.

_Good job, you idiot. Good job!_

Clearing my throat, I reply, "Yea, sorry."

_Jesus, Vincent! What the hell is wrong with you?_

"Can you help me out or not?" she asks again, only this time she sounds impatient; exasperated.

Well at least the part of her asking me to help her get undressed was real.

I slowly help her remove the sling, which doesn't take much considering she's already pulled it off of her neck. Next, I pull her shirt up and over her head, adding it to the pile of clothing lying in the floor. Each movement we make together makes her wince, so I try to be as gentle as possible.

"Can you help me with the clasp?" she asks as she places her right arm across her breasts, tilts her head down and turns back around, facing away from me so I can unhook her bra.

_Maybe I'll get lucky and experience some deja vu while I'm at it, because apparently the raging hard on in my sweats is real too._

And there I go again, drifting off into the land of forbidden as I replay that image of her whimpering and withering as I nibbled and sucked on her clit. Shit, if that was just a fantasy, then I wonder what it would feel like to be able to taste the real...

_Fuck, I really need to stop this shit!_

But all my dirty thoughts are thrown out of the window when my gaze is greeted by one the most amazing tattoo's I've ever seen before. And buddy, I tell ya that I've seen plenty of them in my lifetime to make me never want another one again.

But my God...

Hers is absolutely breathtaking!

A combination of thick and thin lines crawl from in between her shoulder blades and travel all the way down to the sexy curve of her back in the formation of a pair of broken angel wings. They're jagged in some areas with missing feathers in others, almost as if she was an angel that had fallen from Heaven, and I wonder what's happened in her life that made her get such a painful and an emotional tattoo.

"Absolutely beautiful." I mumble to myself, my inner beast stirring once again and making his way to the surface. As my vision becomes clearer, I know without thought that my eyes begin to glow a soft hue of pure liquid amber. Quickly shutting them, I take a deep breathe to calm myself before she sees.

"Did you say something?"

After counting backwards from ten, forcing the animal back into his cage, I open my eyes. "No, it was nothing. Just talking to myself."

She stiffens at the gruff tone I took with her, and I immediately apologize as I unclasp her bra, which now only leaves her wearing panties and pants. And I'm at full mast once a-fucking-gain.

Great. Just fucking perfect.

She turns towards me with a smile plastered across her face. I swear, it's like she knows this is pure torture for me.

_Brutal move, Miss Barker. Brutal move!_

I try to hide the bulge straining against my pants with my hands whist trying to conjure any and all thoughts to kill the hard on I keep developing around this woman tonight and find relief when I think of the time I walked in on JT and Tess banging in Prez's office on the damn desk—something I wish I could forever more erase from my memory banks.

I focus back onto the task, popping the button and lowering the zipper on her pants, revealing her white cotton panties. Now, on anyone else I would find this unattractive. But on Erica... Jesus H. Christ!

_And fuck you, dick, for being a dick!_

Jesus, I can't take this anymore...

So I leave the bathroom, slamming the door behind me as I lean up against it with my heart pounding my chest, my breaths coming out in short gasps and my inner beast is whimpering. My muscles begin to expand and thicken and when I look up at the wall encasing a large intricate mirror, I know why. The beast is not happy that I haven't let him play with his new toy.

Veins as blue as the ocean emerge, webbing up my neck and down my arms right before my very own golden amber eyes. Fangs have replaced my teeth and claws have extended from the tips of my fingers.

I've completely lost control of myself and need to get the hell away from Erica as quickly as possible.

Because if I don't...

Shit... I don't even wanna know what would happen to her if I allow myself to walk back through that door. So as I walk away from the door, I muster as much strength as possible to tame the monster inside of me long enough to tell Erica that if she needs anything, to just holler for me.

"Dammit, Vincent what were you thinking?!" I quietly scold myself as I grab a beer on my way outside to smoke and try to regain back full control of the beast.

I lean against the banister of my porch. Lighting my cigarette, I take a long pull off of it and twist the cap off the bottle of beer as I exhale.

There... I'm feeling slightly better already.

Until, of course, my mind starts racing with all sorts of questions...

_What am I doing?_

_Have I completely lost my mind?_

_How could I think of another woman in that way?_

_What would Alex think if she saw me now?_

And yet, I don't have an answer for any of them.

* * *

_**Catherine POV**_

He left.

_Oh my God, what have I done?_

I should have just asked him to call Tess over. Maybe this wouldn't have happened and I wouldn't feel as if I'm about to die from being so embarrassed. You could tell he was totally upset with the ideal of getting me naked and that fact alone makes me wish the ground would split wide open and swallow me whole. If that wasn't his way of saying that I was unattractive, I don't know what is. Oddly, that bothers me more than anything... and I know that it shouldn't.

But it does.

And I can't seem to stop my head from replaying his disturbed facial expressions of pain while he helped me to undress.

I must have read all of the signs and previous body language in the past wrong. But that still doesn't make sense because he did try to kiss me in front of Kats, so that means he feels something for me, right?

I don't know why the hell I keep going on with this. What does it even matter if he's attracted to me or not? Why should it matter to me whether or not he wants me? Even if we met in different circumstances, got together... then what? A relationship with Vincent Keller would be toxic and never last.

I sigh. My arm that had been trapped in the sling is less stiff than before, so I manage to remove my pants and panties before entering the shower. It takes a little longer than usual to wash myself, but I manage that too and am out of the shower a little while later, using the keypad to shut it off. Carefully drying off as much as I can, I realize that I didn't bring any clothes in with me.

_Isn't that just lovely?_

Wrapping the towel around my body, I crack the bathroom door open, peeking inside of Vincent's bedroom. When I see that he's no where in sight, I push the door fully open and tiptoe my way over to the dresser. Considering we never really talked about where exactly he put my stuff, I choose to rummage through his drawers (and yes, I blushed when I spotted his briefs collection) until I come across a wife beater and a pair of sweats. Both are extremely baggy, but I'm sure I'll manage.

And I do, tying the draw string tighter than I normally would my own and adjusting the tank so that it covers my breasts considering I'm not wearing a bra.

Which reminds me that I need to find Vincent so that I can dress more appropiately.

Making my way out of the bedroom, my mind flashes back to the minutes before Vincent left me. The moment where I asked him to remove my clothes. The moment where he stripped me bare with his eyes. The moment I wished he would kiss me. The moment my body begged for his touch.

For a fleeting moment, I wanted it all.

I wanted Vincent Keller.

And I definitely wanted him to want me.

But why?

Why do I crave him so badly? Why does this feeling increase each and every time we're around each other? Why does my body burn to ash with just a flick of his hazel eyes?

The moment I spot him through the window looking all casual and sexy, stretched out on the banister and propped up against the railing with a cigarette, all of my thoughts vanish and I'm on fire once again.

But I can't keep lusting over him because it's wrong. Forbidden. And he proved to me, if his running away earlier in the bathroom was any indication, that he doesn't feel the same anyways.

Taking a deep breath, I step out onto the porch. His eyes immediately find mine before traveling downwards towards my breasts. I can't help it. I blush. And in that moment, I hate him for making me feel this way. Shy. Embarrassed.

Wet.

But just like he did in the bathroom, his faces morphs into this painful, angry expression as he looks away quickly. I realize that it may have something to do with me wearing his clothes. Feeling a little self conscious, I hug myself and say, "Sorry, I couldn't find any of my stuff."

"You're totally fine," he huffs, taking a deep pull from the beer bottle he's holding before looking my way again. His expression still slightly angry looking. "I completely forgot to unpack your things when I brought them over here. I'll start on it in just a bit."

_What the hell is his problem?_

_Have I done something to offend him in some way?_

Crossing my arms, I raise a brow, plastering one of my most genuine smartass smiles on my face. "No need. I can do it myself. Thanks anyways."

He sighs, looking away. When our eyes lock this time, though, his expression has softened. "Look, I'm not trying to be a dick. I'm just... I'm a little out of my depth here. It's been a while since I've lived with a woman and I'm finding it difficult to handle."

Now that makes sense. And considering the pride that shines in his eyes, this other woman meant something to him. I open my mouth to ask him about her, but am interrupted by his ringing phone.

I think that's my cue to leave, but I find myself frozen to the spot when I hear the worry in his voice. "How is he?...Do they know what happened?...Okay, which hospital has he been taken to?...Yes, I'll be there as soon as I can."

All in one move, he hops off the banister, shoves his phone into his jeans pocket, and rushes inside of the house. I'm curious to know what is going on, especially now that his face has lost all color. So I follow quickly behind him. "Is everything alright?"

He seems unsure. Nervous. And completely upset. "Honestly? I don't know." he says, grabbing a set of keys off of the kitchen counter, leaning against it as he continues to explain what his mother told him what happened. Apparently Mike is in pretty bad shape; coughing up blood after collapsing in the shower and I'm instantly confused by how upsetting this news is.

I should feel happy that the old man has hit rock bottom after how cruelly him and his bandwagon of bikers destroyed my family.

But I'm not.

I actually feel... sad.

"Shit! Do you think he'll be okay?"

"Guess I'm about to find out." he says, making his way outside. I spot my boots from the night of the stabbing sitting at the door and I quickly pull them on. Even though Mike hasn't been friendly the last couple of weeks, and I hate him as much as the rest of them, I can't help feeling concerned.

And I guess you could say that I really don't feel comfortable staying in this big house all alone, no matter the great opportunity it may give me to dig up dirt on the MC. Rushing out of the house, I finally catch up to Vincent as he mounts his bike. Without a word, I hop on with him, wrapping my arms around him tightly, his body stiffens in shock.

"What are you doing, Erica?"

"I'm going with you." I say.

"No."

"No?"

He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Erica, you've been hurt. Your wounds are still fresh as a fucking daisy. You're not coming with me because you need rest, just like JT told you."

I scoff. "No."

He turns to face me, my arms falling to my lap. "Get off my bike."

"No."

Sighing in defeat, his eyes slide down to my breasts—for the second time since showering, I might add—and... smirks?

_What the fu—_

"What's so funny?"

He points at my breasts and replies, "You may want to go change your shirt selection if you're coming with me."

Looking down, I can clearly see my nipples are standing at full attention. How embarrassing! Jesus! Please, by all means, cue the ground to open so it can swallow me whole. I place my uninjured arm over my breasts as I hop off of his bike. But of course, I have no idea where my shit is, so I prompt him with raised brows to follow me.

He begins laughing, and it's such a beautiful sound as he hops off his bike as well. I can't help but to smile, flashing my teeth. When I turn around and head back towards the house, I hold up my middle finger over my shoulder, and that gesture only makes him laugh even harder.

_Gee, Vincent. So glad that after all the grumpiness you continued to dish out this evening and then that upsetting phone call, that I managed to make you smile again. _

Reaching inside of the door, he grabs a black leather jacket before closing the door again. "Kind of in a hurry, so this will have to do for now. We'll unpack your things when we get back."

He helps me put on the jacket, and with a dimpled, sexy grin, he takes my hand in his and we head back towards his bike.

* * *

_**Vincent POV**_

As I enter the hospital, Erica closely following behind me, I walk up to an elderly woman sitting at the information desk.

"How may I help you?" she asks.

"Michael Keller. He'd been brought in today. I need to know which room." I'm sure the old lady finds my clipped response to be rude and quite demanding, but I'm already arriving later than I wanted to as it is and I need to find my father.

She begins typing into the computer. Then tiredly looks back to me.

"Alright baby-doll. He's in the ICU Department; room number thirty. You just go down this hallway," she points to my left. "take the first right," I nod. "go through the brown double doors and you'll be in the waiting room for ICU."

"Thanks, Darlin'."

"Maybe I shouldn't have come here after all." Erica and I start following the path that the nurse gave us, but her words halt me, my eyes squinting as they lock on hers—hazel to blue.

"Too little too late. I gave you an out back at the house. In fact," I point out, taking a step closer to her until our bodies are nearly pressed together. "I told you to get the fuck off of my bike. And like the little stubborn ass that you are," she harrumphs, narrowing her gaze at me at my comment. "you forced your way here anyways."

_That's a lie, Vinny, and you know it. You were practically purring with glee that this woman—a woman you know hardly anything about that you've claimed as your own—would take the time to stand by you through all of this when she's in the middle of a healing process._

"Whatever." she huffs, walking ahead of me through the double doors. Wait a minute... did she just roll her eyes at me? "Vincent," she calls to me, and I swiftly catch up to her. "This is a family matter, so I'm just gonna stay here in the waiting room."

_Oh..._

"But," she continues, her expression softening to something more kind, and friendly. "if you need me for anything, just know that I'm right here."

"Thank you." I reply as I give her hand a squeeze before I head to find room number thirty. I come across it pretty quickly—it's just a few doors down from the waiting room.

I look back in the direction of Erica—our eyes meet briefly before she enters the waiting area and I have half a mind to ask her to come with me. But that would be stupid, and a little forward as well. So, I walk into the room.

My mom is standing beside the bed, holding my father's hand while popping her ritual piece of gum when she's unable to smoke. "Mother." I greet.

When she sees me, she comes over and hugs me tight, her gum popping directly into my ear. As she releases me from her embrace, she looks towards the waiting area with this awkward expression painting her face. A look that I know all to well.

Ladies and gents... meet Roxanne "Roxy" Keller.

"So," _Oh, Jesus... here we go again! _"who's the new flavor for this month?"

I roll my eyes and exhale sharply. "Oh, for God's sake, it's not even like that!"

Okay, I know what you might be thinking, but believe me, my mom is _not_ a bitch. At least, not _all_ of the time, anyways. She's a pistol; a spitfire in three-inch heels with tattoo's galore... and she doesn't really have a brain-to-mouth filter sometimes which means whatever pops up in her head, comes straight the fuck out. It comes from being protective of her family. You know, Mama Bear type of protective. Only in her own, creative way.

Plus she kind of knows my pattern ever since losing Alex and Olivia.

"Uh-huh. _R__iii__ight_..." she mutters, walking back over to my dad, whom looks like total shit in that hospital bed.

He's hooked up to all different types of machines. His complexion has went from a bronzing tan to a pale, milky white. But I'm guessing that's from all of the blood he coughed up this morning. My mother did say it was quite a bit.

I ask how he's doing, taking the chair next to my mom and she sighs before responding. "It's not looking too good at the moment, Vinny." she whispers to me, her eyes glued to Mike's face as her palm sweeps across his cheek in a loving manner. They were always quite the team, them two. Mike and Roxy. Roxanne and Michael. You can tell that this shit is breaking my mother's heart.

I sigh, hating to see my parents in this position. "What are the doctor's saying?"

"They're givin' him a blood transfusion right now." she says. "They've done all the normal tests, blood work, chest x-rays and so on, but we haven't heard the results to any of 'em yet."

Looking at him laying there so fragile and helpless, I can't help but to feel guilty for some reason. I had noticed that he wasn't feeling all that well for awhile now, but of course my dad is hard headed as hell and always refused to go to the doctor whenever I brought it up.

And now guilt turns to blame.

"I should have made him go to the doctor sooner." I say, more or less to myself.

"Vincent, you know how your father is. He doesn't do anything for himself unless he wants to. Hell, I myself have fussed and cussed with him trying to get his old ass to see a doctor sooner."

As she finishes her sentence, there is a knock at the door before it's pushed open and an older man with a white lab coat and blue scrubs walks inside the room. "Hi, I'm Dr. Arnold." he reaches out his hand to shake ours.

"Roxanne."

"Vincent."

"As you already know, Mrs. Keller, we've done a few different tests on Mr. Keller here. My only concern at this time, is the chest X-ray is showing some abnormal masses in his lungs."

"Masses?" asks my mom. "As in cancer?"

Dr. Arnold clears his throat before responding. "We're not one hundred percent sure yet what they are." he glances back and forth between my mother as he speaks. "With your permission I'd like to do a CT Scan to try and get a better look. Now, if there are masses in the lungs, we will need to do a biopsy to try and find out if it's cancerous or not."

"Yes, Yes!" my mother demands, pushing her shoulder length hair back out of her face. "I want you to do everything you need to do to make my husband better."

The doctor nods with a quick glance my way before leaving the room. As if the sound of the door clicking shut were the sound of a gun being cocked in our faces, my mother collapses into the chair next to mine and begins to cry. I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight, rubbing her back soothingly telling her without words that everything will be fine.

But I know that is a lie. Everything is not okay. And things will never be the same again. Everything just went to shit and all of our lives will be inflicted by what's to come one way or another.

But for now, I'm gonna live in denial and keep pushing forward. What else can I do, if not that? Who else will be strong through all of this?

A few minutes later, the tech comes in to take Mike for his CT Scan. My mother and I decide to wait it out in his room.

It's quiet. Almost too quiet. So, I'm the first to break the silence whist I stare out of the window that views the outside. "Where's Will and Danny? Have you told them?"

"Yes. They were supposed to be here, but I'm sure they were held up at Katz."

I scoff, turning to face her. "Don't you think that this is a little bit more important?"

My mother smiles, although it's a forced, sad smile as she comes to stand in front of me, tucking away my hair from my forehead. "You need a haircut, Vinny."

I push her hand away. "Don't do that. Answer me."

She sighs, turning to face the window. "You of all people should know the ropes of club business, Vincent. Somebody has to pick up from where your father left off, right?" she says with a shrug.

I don't respond, because she's right. But it still pisses me off that both of my brothers would rather deal with club business rather than be here with their family. Just because we're the big baddies of West Virginia doesn't mean we should lose touch with our lives outside of a leather kut.

One hour turns into two then two and half turns into three. The whole time we are pacing back and forth in the room as worry starts turning into rage.

"Why haven't they brought him back yet?!" asks my mom.

"I don't know, but I'm about to fucking find out!" I say as I start for the door and run straight into the tech.

She rolls dad back into the room and says, "Sorry it took so long. We're really busy today. He did really good and the doctor told me to let you know that he should be in shortly with the results."

The tech leaves the room when my dad starts to stir. And soon after, he opens his eyes, bobbing them back and forth between my mother and I.

"Well, Dad, you look like shit. How are you feeling?" I ask him already knowing the answer.

"Rough." he replies a bit groggy.

I look down to the ground, not sure what to really say to him after our little disagreement the night I claimed Erica as mine. Which reminds me that I need to go check on her, and soon.

"Is there anything I can do, baby?" my mother chimes in, crawling into the hospital bed beside Mike, caressing his face with a smile on her face.

"No." he says as he closes his eyes and starts to fall back asleep.

My mother nods her head in defeat, and gets up out of the bed, heading towards the door. "My nerves can't take this. I need a cigarette."

"Go ahead." I say, handing her a cigarette and a lighter. "I'll stay here with him."

She hesitates for a moment.

"He'll be fine, Mom. If the doctor comes in while you're gone, I'll call your cell." I smile reassuringly. "Promise."

She nods, leaving the room. And with a deep sigh, I sit into the chair next to my sleeping father and my head falls into my hands.

* * *

_**Catherine POV**_

As Vincent walks towards the ICU department to find his dad's room, I find a seat in the waiting room and sit down.

The room is pretty crowded, so, I make sure that I have Vincent's jacket tightly closed around me so I don't flash anyone the girls. I'm glad now that I have the jacket because with my hair still being a bit wet from my shower earlier and the air conditioner on at full blast, it has me to the point of freezing.

As the time passes by, my side and shoulder begin to throb, which makes me realize that it's time to take another dose of medicine. I try to focus on watching the show playing on the TV to take my mind off the pain. Time seems to creep by as I sit there waiting, and I can feel myself starting to nod off from time to time.

I guess at some point I completely fell asleep because the next thing I know my arm slips and I jerk awake. Looking up at the clock, I see that it's been a little over three hours since Vincent went to check on Mike.

I hope that everything is okay.

A shadow of a woman walks by me. Wait a minute... I've seen her somewhere before.

She's probably 5'5", average weight, blondish-brown shoulder length hair and her right arm is sleeved with tattoos. I rack my brain trying to figure out where I've seen her from.

_Did I see her at the grocery store? Maybe she was staying at the motel where I was staying. Is she a regular customer at Kat's?_

My mind begins to spin trying to think of all the places I've been to since getting into town. But I'm still coming up empty with why this woman seems so familiar to me. Normally, I'm really good about remembering things like this with being a cop. But I guess it's the pain from my side and shoulder fogging my thoughts.

I watch for her to come back, hoping maybe seeing her again will jog my memory. And I'm not disappointed thirty minutes later.

She comes walking back through the waiting area, walking swiftly past the ICU waiting room, heading towards the ICU. And as if a light bulb blinking on above my head, it finally dawns on me that I've seen this woman—_whom I now recognize as Roxanne Keller_—at Kat's from time to time, whether it being her talking to Mike, or consuming inventory at the bar. But on a personal level? I've never spoke with her, and she's never even took a glance in my direction whenever I've served her drinks.

Glancing at the clock once more, I sigh heavily before curling up in the chair I'm sitting in to fall back to sleep.

* * *

_**Vincent POV**_

It dawns on me how long we've been here and that I haven't been back out to talk to Erica. Pulling out my phone from my back pocket, I prepare to send her a text when I realize that I don't have her number yet.

_How crazy is that,_ I think to myself.

This woman is considered my old lady as far as the MC is concerned...

This woman is living inside my house...

Yet, I still don't have her number...

_What the fuck is wrong with me?_

Making a mental note that I need to get her number—and soon—I return the phone back into my pocket before looking up to see my mother walking back through the door.

"Has the doctor been in yet?" she asks, semi-whispering.

"No, he hasn't come in yet. Hopefully he'll be in soon, though."

She nods, taking a seat at one side of the hospital bed, stroking Mike's hair as she caresses him with her eyes in a loving manner. It's now that I smell the stench of marijuana, and I know now that when she said she needed a smoke, she wasn't just talking about a cigarette. But I keep my thoughts on the matter to myself.

She sighs, standing before looking over at me. "Has your dad attempted to awaken?"

"No."

"Not even a stir? A movement of some kind—"

"No, Mother," I interrupt, knowing that this is breaking her heart with each passing second. "He's been resting the whole time you were gone."

She sniffs, nodding towards my hands. "Who were you talking to?"

"Oh, no one. I was actually about to text Erica."

"Erica?"

"Yeah. You know, the girl who's been sitting in the waiting room for like four hours? Yeah, her. Only I realized after getting out my phone that I don't have her number."

"Oh..." she blinks. Once. Twice. My mother's mouth twists, in both, disgust and curiosity.

"Don't start mom."

"What? All I said was 'oh'."

"Yeah, but I know what was implied behind that _'oh'._"

Mother narrows her eyes at me before she raises her hands in surrender, as if to say, _'__Fine, __I'm not saying anything __else__'._

At that exact moment the doctor walks into the room.

I rise from the chair, taking place next to my mom. I look at her and I can already tell she's holding her breath. She grasps my hand; it's written all over her face. Like a sixth sense, she can tell that what the kind doctor is about to say will not be good news. I squeeze her hand reassuringly.

"Well," Dr. Arnold begins with a sigh. "It looks like the CT Scan results are showing that, in fact, there are masses in Mr. Keller's lungs. Now, the next step will be a biopsy to find out if they're cancerous or not."

"Okay, and when will that be done?" asks my mom.

"Well, you're lucky we have an opening for your husband." he says. "A nurse will be by to take Mr. Keller for the procedure in a few moments. And depending on the process, you may or may not see the results for seven to ten days."

My mother sighs, worridly.

Dr. Arnold closes my father's file, and tucks it under his arm. "Look, I know this must be difficult; having to sit down and wait it out. But that's the soonest I can get them back, if even that."

"Thank You, Doctor." I say as I put my arm over my mom's shoulder to comfort her.

"I'll go get the test set up." he says as he leaves the room.

As soon as the door clicks shut, Mike begins to stir. My mother is at his side in a flash. Holding his hand. Caressing his cheek and hair, whispering sweet words of joyous, loving thoughts. And I'm envious of them in that moment because I'll never have that ever again.

Never again will I have somebody look at me with such longing and love and passion like my parents are looking at each other right now. But I only have myself to blame for that. And with that thought in mind, I'm angry at myself all over again.

But now is not the time, and this is definitely not the place for such feelings of self-pity.

This is about my dad.

For the next hour, my mother and I try to catch him up on what is going on. We tell him about the masses in his lungs and that they're getting ready to take him back for a biopsy. And through it all, not once does my old man look the slightest bit surprised by any of this information. It's like he knew, yet he didn't care enough to go have things checked out sooner.

Soon after we talk to my father, the tech walks in to take him for the test, when Mike's voice stops me from leaving the room. "Vincent." his voice is hoarse, scratchy.

I don't even turn around from the door. I just stand there with my hand on the handle. "Yeah, Dad."

"We need to have a talk about the club."

"Don't worry about it right now." I say as they push him out of the room.

I turn to my mom, tell her that I'm going to go let Erica know what's going on and take a walk to clear my mind.

She nods in response.

I leave the room headed towards the waiting area. As I walk through the door, Erica looks up at me with a worried look on her face. She rises from her seat before speaking in a tired, low whisper. "Hey."

"Hey." I respond.

"Is your dad okay?"

I sigh. "He has some masses in his lungs. Currently, they're doing a biopsy to see if they are cancerous or not."

She doesn't say anything, she just wraps her arms around my waist as if we've done this a million times. She stiffens when the realization of what she's doing hits her, and she tries to back off. But my God, that felt good. So good, that, I pull her right back until our bodies are firmly pressing together and I wrap my arms around her, keeping her in place. She sighs, pressing her forehead against my chest and, wait... did she just sniff me?

My cheeks heat when I come to grips that she, in fact, fucking sniffed me. But I keep it to myself, because I don't want her to stop holding me. What can I say? I'm a selfish bastard. This, whatever it is that happened between us with just this small gesture, it makes me relax for the first time in years. Makes me feel good. Happy. It's as if time is standing still as we continue to hold each other.

If someone were to walk past us without knowing us, they would think we were lovers trying to comfort each other in a time of heartbreak. Whereas, Erica and I are nothing more than friends.

Reluctantly, I release my embrace on her and she steps away from me. Our eyes—_blue to hazel_—lock for what feels like centuries; merely minutes. And before I can do something stupid, like kiss her or drag her into a fucking empty room to _claim_ her the way the beastly demon inside of me craves to do, I take off outside and light up a cigarette.

As I stand there, different thoughts begin running through my head...

_How will my mom deal with things if it comes out that my dad has cancer?_

_If he has cancer will they be able to do chemo?_

_Will he even want to do chemo treatments?_

_If something happens to him, and I become president of Ryder's, what will happen where Erica is concerned?_

_Hell, will I even be able to _handle_ all the things that come with being president of Ryder's?_

My head begins to spin with all the questions running through my mind.

"Man up, Vincent!" I whisper to myself in a scold. _Your suppose to be the strong one here. You've gotta keep yourself in control, if not for yourself, for your mom. __For your brothers._

_For Erica._

_Shit..._

I take a deep breathe trying to calm myself as I stub my cigarette out into the ashtray, forcefully. And finally with a deep sigh and another scold to myself, I make my way back inside.

* * *

_**Catherine POV**_

As Vincent walks away my thoughts begin to drift back to when I was seven and found out my mom had cancer.

I can remember all of the things she had to go through...

The treatments.

The painful procedures.

Her lying almost lifeless in her bed when she gave up on everything after losing her only son.

Watching her endure all of that shitty, cancerous abuse, I remember thinking to myself that I wouldn't wish something so life-draining, so painfully consuming, so life altering—like cancer—on my worst enemy.

Not even the Ryder's MC.

Okay, maybe that's not completely true. I do want some of them dead for the things I've been through, both back then, and now. But not all of them are that bad to be around.

And even though Mike has pissed me off, and called me out in front of his club, I kind of like the guy. Perhaps he's grown on me. Just like JT. And Tess. And...

_Just like Vincent?_

_No... I just can't forgive him. He was Zach's friend. They were club brothers. Vincent was supposed to protect him, and failed. He fucking failed me!_

Ultimately, that failure ruined my life and took the people I love away from me. And I'll never get any of that back. _Never!_

But that still doesn't take away this feeling of sympathy I have for him. Even though I can't fathom why, I truly do hope that things turn out for the best for Mike in the end...

When in walks Vincent's brothers, dismantling my thoughts like a damn bomb explosion. Daniel, A.K.A. 'Killer'; William, A.K.A. 'Pitbill', along with one of the club brothers, Evan, A.K.A. 'Brit'.

My eyes become the size of saucers when I spot Danny first out of the three of them. I mean, I knew that eventually one or all of them would show up. But I at least thought that maybe since being here for a little over four hours, that they'd already come and left.

Fuck!

_Where's Vincent?_

I've got a bad feeling about this as if something is about to go down. I just know things aren't going to end well at all. But instead of cowering like I should, I hold my head up high and smile politely in their direction when they finally spot me.

That smile lasts, all of a mere second as my eyes trail behind Evan to see the woman who shanked me in the women's bathroom at Katz.

_Great! _I think to myself. _J__ust fucking __wonderful__!_

Danny's lip pulls up into a snarl as he spits his words at me. "Why the hell are _you_ here?"

"I was invited," I know it's a lie when I say it, but for some reason, I find myself wanting to get under this bastard's skin. You know, hit it where it hurts. "I mean, I _am_ his Old Lady, after all. I'm showing support for my man, as I should be... by his side." the whole time I'm speaking, I'm smiling like the damn Joker from _Batman._

Hmmm... I must have struck a nerve. Because in an instant, Danny growls his hatred for me as Tori's face morphs into one of the most ugliest expressions I have ever seen in my entire life.

And of course, the bitch speaks before any of them can even exhale a full breath. "You won't ever be cut out to be his Old Lady, you little bitch." The words spew out of her mouth like venom from a snake.

I give her a _'__Go Fuck Yourself'_ look while grinning from ear to ear—in full Joker fashion—which only proves to piss her off even more.

"How's the side?" she asks, a smirk on her face.

"How's the head and ribs?" I reply, tilting my head and batting my eyes with that same smile on my face.

Aww... I think she might even cry. But I don't care. I'm pissed and ready to rip her fucking hair out. I mean, the freaking psycho stabbed me, for Christ's sakes! Remember when I said Danny would be the first to go? Yeah? Well, I think I've reconsidered.

Before I can blink, Tori lunges towards me, getting inches away from my face before...

Evan grabs her by the arm and pulls her back.

"Let go of my fucking arm!" she hisses into his face. I'm sure the man just received a good ole' dose of Tori spittle. I can't help but to laugh, because honestly, this is the funniest shit I've had the privilege to play out before me. And hey, doesn't that say a lot considering I'm in with the FBI?

"What the Hell is going on here?" I spin around to see Vincent has returned. Everyone goes stock still, and if it weren't for the background sounds of medical equipment beeping and clicking, nurses and visiters walking up and down the halls and people in the distance talking at the near-by nurse's station, we might have even heard a damn pin drop. And it's in this moment that I realize that I've fully submitted to this man. At least, my body has.

Because Vincent Keller is now touching me in the most protective of stances. The body heat coming off of him is making mine vibrate with a carnal need for him. He turns me away, his long-fingered hands still curling around my sides as he now stands between me and Tori.

"Have you gone bloody mad?" Evan whisper-yells into Tori's face. "Your in a hospital, for God's sake. Cool it!"

I guess I'm enjoying this whole encounter a little too much, because he then looks at me and says, "I wasn't just talking to her, _Newbie_."

* * *

_**Vincent POV**_

As I make my way back to the ICU waiting area, I hear someone scream _'Let go of my fucking arm'_, so I take off sprinting in that direction. I enter the room where I see Brit holding Tori in a vice-like grip by her forearm, and she lunges at Erica at the same time that she's trying to break Evan's grip.

"What the Hell is going on here?" My voice booms, making all of them come to a stand still. Taking Erica into my arms, I move myself as a shield in front of her.

Evan mumbles under his breath to Tori that I can't quite make out, then he looks to Erica and says, "I wasn't just talking to her, _Newbie_."

_Fuck! _

This has all turned into one hell of a damn stain.

I take a protective stance in front of Erica as Tori points a shaky finger into my face. "Why is this bitch even here?"

"Because she's my Old Lady, that's why." I reply, defensively.

Scoffing, Tori crosses her arms over her chest. "She's not even club material." she spits.

At that moment, a fit of rage begins to consume me. "And neither are you! You're just another club whore, Victoria," she hates when people call her that. But really, she should butt the fuck out of my business.

I look to Danny, hoping that maybe he can explain this fucking mess, when I notice he's smirking. I allow myself to step away from Erica long enough to smack the back of his head. "What's so fucking funny?"

"Ow! Fuck! Nothing, you prick." he replies, rubbing the back of his head.

"Really?" I huff., stepping towards him. "Well, I suggest you take that fucking smirk off your face and get your bitch under control before you come inside to see your sick dad. You know, the reason we're all here!"

Tori looks at me with her mouth agape and her eyes bulging, completely shocked by my reaction. And for a moment, only briefly, I wonder if maybe the beast came out throughout all of this anger building up inside of me.

Danny is childish, even though he's older than me. He should have known what bringing Tori here would have done to me after the way she treated Erica the last time they were alone together. He knows that I'm fucking pissed off at her. So to bring her to the hospital where he knew where I would be, whether Erica came along or not, he had to be doing this to get a rise out of me. And in a public domain of all places.

_Good... at least we're at a hospital where he can get treated for the can of whoop-ass I'm about to lay out onto him!_

_Fucker..._

But I don't. Instead, I turn to Erica and tell her to head outside to where the bike is. "I'm gonna go tell the old man that I'm leaving, then I'll meet you out there, 'kay?"

She nods her head and leaves the room.

Giving my brother another _'If looks could kill'_ expression, I walk past him and head back into dad's room. I walk inside, mom and dad are talking about something, but as soon as they see me enter, they become completely quiet.

I know that expression on my dad's face. He is no longer my dad, but Prez, the leader of the MC.

Swallowing hard, I begin to speak. "I was just coming in to say goodnight. I'm gonna head home, but I'll be back first thing in the morning." As I say the last sentence, I'm looking at my mother. She smiles, but it's forced and she comes to a stand, squeezing my shoulder in comfort before leaving the room.

_Guess it's just you and me now, Pops..._

"Vincent, we need to talk about the club." he mumbles.

I sigh, both frustrated and tired as fuck. I think daylight is even beginning to peek through the window and I know it won;t be long before I have to be up again to work. "We can talk about that later, Dad. I—"

"No, we can't," he interrupts. "We can't because I've come to a decision, although, a hard one involving the club, Vinny..."

_Vinny... _

It's been years since he last called me by that name.

"I've made the decision to resign my position as president of the Ryder's MC." he says, and there is a hint of sadness in his broken voice. "Although you've given me a lot of reasons lately not to trust you," he sighs, as do I. "I know you'll do right by the club. And by me."

"Dad—"

"So that's why, as of right now, here in this room between a father and son, you will be takin' over as the new president of Ryder's from here on out."

I stand there frozen, unable to conjure up a single word.

Because I think my father just told me that he was dying.

* * *

_**O.O uhm... so, I think this is a great place to stop lol. I have this feeling that a lot of you are plotting mine and Heather's death's for the tease in the beginning of the chapter. But no worries, my babies! I will be giving you all what you want VERY soon! :D Patience is a virtue, and all that jazz, right? Ha! Anyways, it's one in the morning and I'm late as it is to upload this chapter, so I think I'll end this author's note with... TO BE CONTINUED! ;D Loves y'all! XOXOXO!**_


	13. Ch 12 - Invading Spaces

**Disclaimer:**** Although I own the rights to this story, I do not own BATB or it's characters.**

**Summary:**** (AU) – Catherine**** Chandler lost her brother, Zach, to The Ryders MC biker club as a young child. All grown up, she is New York's favorite undercover officer and PI. Once she takes her vacation, her work doesn't stop there. She returns to Falling Spring, West Virginia where it all began, to exact revenge on the biker gang. What she doesn't bargain for is Vincent, also known as Beast—the newly-elected vice-president of the gang and Zach's best friend. When Catherine and Vincent come face-to-face, the sparks are immediate, and Catherine finds herself torn between exacting vengeance for her shattered past, and an uncertain future in the arms of a biker bad boy.**

**Warning:****This story contains explicit language, graphic sexual adult content, gang violence, and drug usage. If you DO NOT wish to read any of the named above, then I advise that you not read this story at all. **

**A/N: Okay, so nobody tried to kill me...or my lovely guest writer (now my NEW co-author), Heather...so that's good lol. Thank you ALL for your wonderful reviews and for putting up with how slowly we're getting these chapters uploaded! I have had a lot going on lately, as well as suffering from major writer's block, so I have depended A LOT on my co-author to help me out with writing this story (THANK YOU HEATHER! YOU'RE THE GREATEST BABE! LOVE YOU!) **

**Heather and I love reading everyone's thoughts on the story as it progresses and grows and we totally enjoy reading what everyone thinks will happen next! Makes writing that much more exciting and fun ;) Anyways, we truly hope you enjoy this chapter. I HAVE NOT GIVEN UP ON FANFICTION! So please bear with us as we try to get this story moving as fast as possible. EXTRA LONG CHAPTERS COMING YOUR WAY! We lovers you guys, so effin much! Enjoy!**

* * *

_**-Chapter 12—Invading Spaces-**_

**Vincent POV**

I'm closing the lid to my laptop after responding to a few clients with work, when my phone rings. I sigh when I see who it is. Hitting the green phone icon, hard enough to crack the screen, I answer with an exasperated growl, "Yeah?"

"You son of a bitch!"

I smile. "Hello, Danny-Boy. To what do I owe the pleasure of you calling our mother a bitch?"

He curses under his breath. "Don't act coy with me, _brother._ You know _exactly_ why I'm calling you."

"So lets cut to the chase. I have more important issues at the moment."

He laughs, but it is in anger. "Just because the old man gave you his spot doesn't mean you can fire my girl. I want Tori back at the club where she fucking belongs! Right. The fuck. Now!"

I knew this was going to be his reaction to my firing of Tori as well as banning her completely from Katz Club indefinitely. But at the moment, I'm finding it really hard to give a rats ass. "I can, and I did, Danny. The bitch had no right to fuck with my old lady. She had no right to disrespect the MC by attacking one of our own—"

"She will never be one of us, you lousy piece of shit!" He interrupts, but I continue onward with my speech.

"And besides," I add. And since I'm already in a foul mood as it is, plus, pissing off Danny has always been such a pleasure, I say, "I'm sure Tori already has a new job by now. In fact, I'm sure Cade McFarland two towns North would have no problem at all giving her a job on the street corner near the fucking McDonald's. Hell, I'll give him a call as soon as we hang up to—"

"Fuck you! You hear me, cocksucker? Fuck. You, Vincent!" The line goes dead and instantly, with a growl, I slam my phone down onto the desk.

"Dammit!"

And that's when I hear it...

The music.

_What the fuck?_

And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know where its coming from.

The basement.

_Jesus!_ I roll my eyes as my head falls down hard onto the desk. Erica has that shit blasting so loud, it's consuming the entire house.

Infuriating woman.

Remember two weeks ago, when Erica had experienced a highly serious injury from one of Katz club whores, Tori? Well, within those two weeks being trapped inside of my house (only because I gave her the ultimatum of either staying indoors during the remnants of her healing process, or be tied to the fucking bed) she begged me to make her an exercise area in the basement so that she could at least use the time to gain back strength in her weakened arm.

I didn't know what the fuck to say because I was shocked shitless by her ridiculous request.

Now, ladies, no offense...but around these here parts of West Virginia, its not very common of most of the women residents to participate in such activities. Hell, the town doesn't even have a local gym like most places, so, yeah... best believe that I was shocked.

So I laughed and told myself I wasn't going to do it. I am not going to alternate my home living to please this still-be stranger living inside of my house. And the damn puppy eyes she was giving me was not going to deter me.

Ha! What a pussy I have become, because after moving around the furniture in the "Man Cave", I had JT help me bring over my mother's old exercise equipment and made Erica an area to treat herself to self-physical therapy.

I had never thought of adding one before. But with the animalistic genes that took up half of my DNA, I didn't really need it. The secluded forest around my house has always served purpose as my playground; as my way of exercise or working out in general.

I have to be honest though, when I agreed to her request, I still figured she wouldn't even use the damn space.

Boy was I wrong.

It turned out to be the biggest. Fucking. Mistake. _Ever._

Why, you may ask?

Because now she's blasting pop music through the house so loud, that I'm sure the furniture is probably scooting around all over the place and I may, or may not have a few broken picture frames on top of that.

From what I can make out of the song playing, some male-female duo are singing about being a princess and a king and something else that's unintelligible at this point because my ears are practically bleeding with the noise.

I fucking _hate_ pop music! I'm a country-rock type of guy. Always have been, always will be.

But it isn't until I make my way downstairs that I hear something else entirely. And damn if it don't wake up the primal side of the beast inside of me.

Grunts, moans and shouts can be heard from the other side of the door along with the increase of volume of the music she's playing inside.

I cant help it. My cock goes from limp to solid steel in seconds.

_Shit. Damn. Fuck._

But, on the bright side, I think I've got it pretty well hidden with my leather kut draped over my forearms; hanging in front of my denim-encased crotch.

Fuck, I need to get laid...

And soon...

_Jesus H. Christ!_

Pushing the door open, I can't hold back the smile at the sight of the tiny woman in a black cami and gray skin-tight exercising pants, beating the mortal shit out of the rubber dummy bag in front of her. She's sweaty, out of breath, and winces every now and then with each punch she throws at the dummy using her hurt arm.

Damn, she's fucking sexy.

Which is why I need to leave the room before I throw her down onto the rug and show her other forms of exertions I'm completely game for right about now. _Shit_. She'd be all of those things I named above and more...

Sweaty...

Out of breath...

Screaming my name as I pound into her...

_Fuck!_

This shit isn't helping me one fucking bit. I think a cold shower is awaiting me in the near future. Possibly even as soon as I leave this room before I head out for the day.

"Been standing there... long? " she asks, panting out of breath as she continues to spar with the rubber dummy, little tiny beads of sweat are evident when she pivots her body into the light just right. I don't even know how she knew I was even in here. I mean, seriously... who could hear over that fucking music?

_Obviously you can, dumbass. You know, with your beast hearing and all that._

Oh, yeah...

And that's another thing. Since my little freak-out in the bathroom that day Erica asked me to remove her clothes, my medicine hasn't been blocking out all things "beast" like it should be. Thankfully, I haven't fully shifted since that night either. But I have been experiencing on and off again beast-like symptoms. Like, super hearing. And my sense of smell has been a little off lately too, picking up scents that no normal human being would.

Shutting off that ridiculous song she calls music, I twist my body until I'm fully facing her, as I lean against the treadmill sitting near the radio. "Not long, actually," I say. "I just finished up some emails and was wondering if you were hungry."

She grins, detaching our locked eyes long enough to unravel the white cloth she has tightly wrapped around each of her hands. "Actually, I fixed myself up some eggs and toast this morning. I hope you don't mind that I dirtied up that amazing kitchen. I planned to clean up after my workout, but I can go clean it up now."

"Right." _Duh, Vincent, __you idiot__._ _You should __have__ known that, __you know,__ with the aroma of breakfast filling the air._ "Don't worry about it. I mean, you are my temporary old lady, after all. What's mine is yours, right?"

Her grin turns into a full blown smile, and dear God, its truly beautiful. "Did you have something else in mind?" she asks.

"Well, how about dinner?" I ask.

_Jesus, why can't resist her whenever she's around? Why do I turn into this pussy every single time her baby blues touch my hazel ones? _These feelings are both familiar and new to me. Where Alex made me feel weak in the knees, Erica makes it harder and harder with each passing day to fucking breathe.

She doesn't respond. Instead, she continues to stare at me. Pulling away from the treadmill, a thought strikes me. I begin pacing slowly towards her as I continue speaking. "I was thinking since you haven't really been out much lately, maybe you would like to go to a bonfire cookout thing with me up in the fields."

You see, that's actually a lie. Honestly, today is the day when I will be patching in three of our prospects and the bonfire is the after party celebration with the MC and their families. Anyways, if I'm to keep up this whole act of her being my old lady up to par, she needs to be there with me.

For appearances sake, of course.

"Sure," Erica drags back my attention when she speaks. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I like this house. But I'm dying to get out and live a little for a change." she smiles, laying the bundled cloth wrap from her hands down onto a nearby table. "When should I be ready?"

And now I'm smiling. All because of Erica Barker. "I still have a few things to clear up at the clubhouse this morning and I'm scheduled to meet a client this afternoon. So..." I drawl, leaving out one tiny detail of my plans to go visit the graveyard before I head over to the clubhouse. But she doesn't have to know about that. At least, I'm not ready to talk about Alex and Olivia to her yet, and I'm not sure if I ever will be. "Be ready to go about seven."

"Great."

I turn to leave, but there's one more thing I need to say. "Feel free to go out and do whatever until then. Your truck is in the garage. Like I said, I'll be away for the remainder of the day and, well, I'm sure you're tired of being imprisoned here."

"I would love that. Thank you." she grins again, turning her gaze towards her feet before looking back up to meet my eyes with a playful expression on her beautiful heart-shaped face. "Although, you make it sound like you're some grumpy, cruel beast who's imprisoned me in his creepy castle."

The blood drains from my face and my mind begins to race with questions at the mention of the _B-word._

Why would she use that word? Does she know the truth about me? Is she trying to get a reaction out of me?

_Calm the __f__uck down, Vincent. You're just being paranoid._ I scold myself.

There's no way she could know my secret. She's only been here for what, a month tops? And only JT and Tess know about my little... _issue_. But in this moment I'm also reminded that she can also _never_ find out the truth about me either. God only knows how she would even react if she did know and honestly, I don't think I could handle her looking at me differently from the innocent way she's always looked at me before.

Her face scrunches up in worry as she takes a tentative step towards me, only I take one a back.

_Which is crazy, right?_

I'm just being stupid.

"Are you okay, Vincent?"

"I'm fine." I snap. She jerks back as if I've slapped her with my clipped tone. I take another step back, even though I know I'm being foolish over a meaningless comment.

But that word...

It...

_Christ! _It reminds me of the curse I've battled on a daily basis over the past few years.

Instantly, her worry shifts to panic as I continue to back away from her. Its written all over her face. "Was it something I said?"

I shake my head. "No, I—"

"Because if it is," she whispers, regret laced in her voice. "I'm sorry."

Glancing at my watch, I force a smile when my eyes return to her worried ones and say, "I just realized the time. Uhm... the keys to your truck are hanging up at the door—"

"Vincent, I—"

"I'll see you this evening, Erica. I apologize for the sudden rush." And with that being said, I turn on my heels with a forced smile and exit the basement, returning up the stairs to grab my keys to the Harley and leave.

* * *

**Catherine POV**

I stand there racking my brain trying to figure out what it was I said that sent Vincent running from the room the way he did. But I just can't figure it out. So instead of obsessing over it, I try to focus on what to expect tonight at the bonfire. Vincent was a bit vague on the details before running out of the door.

Is it a congratulations party on him becoming club president? Is it just the MC getting together to hang out? Is it some club thing disguised as a party?

_Great, Catherine... all you did was go from obsessing one thing to another._

I shake my head while laughing at myself.

After straightening up the gym and cleaning the kitchen, I decide to cash in Vincent's invitation to get out of the house. I'm hoping to be able to use my free time to go through some of Zach's things before having to get ready for the bonfire tonight.

I call Gabriella to ask her if I can come over, but I don't reveal the reason for my want to go over there for a visit. She's overjoyed at my request and tells me that she can't wait to see me. Katie is currently staying the weekend over at a friends house, so I won't get some Auntie-time to bond with her today. So I run to take a quick shower before heading over to Gabriella's.

* * *

Welp... it looks like things aren't going exactly as I planned.

Guess I should have told Gabi my intentions over the phone, because as soon as I'm pulling up into the driveway, she starts walking out of the house and heads towards her car.

"Going somewhere?" I ask with a puzzled look on my face.

She smiles, unlocking her car as she opens the door to lean on. "I thought it would be a great idea for us to go over to the cemetery together."

I really don't want to go over there. I know that sounds shitty. considering my brother's last resting place is there, but... well, it's... _hard_. I don't know how else to explain it to you.

So I stand there trying to think of an excuse _not_ to go. "I… Uhm..."

_Shit!_ _Come on, Catherine! You're a cop for __Christ __sake__s__! __Y__ou should be able to come up with something. __You always fucking do!_

But in the process of searching my brain for the perfect "free out of jail card", I look over at her and can read the disappointment all over her face. So I just cave and agree to go with her. "Yeah, Sure."

She smiles, while getting behind the driver seat of her old Honda Civic and I quickly follow suit on the passenger side. She wastes no time before interrogating me as she pulls out of the driveway and onto the road heading towards the cemetery. "So how are things? You know, with Vincent since you've moved in with him? Is he being good to you?"

"Good, I guess? I mean, he's not around most of the time and other than threatening to tie me to the bed, he's been pretty decent."

She looks over and raises a brow before returning her attention to the road.

"It's a long story. And no, it does_ not_ involve sex. _Sheesh_!" I say, rolling my eyes. "What do you know about MC bonfire's?" I add.

"So good ole' Vinny invited you to go to the bonfire, huh?" Gabi asks with an expression of pure curiosity.

"Yeah. It was kind of sudden, and out of the blue." I say. "But I think he's just being nice. Perhaps he doesn't want me to feel left out? Or maybe its the whole old lady thing? Maybe I have to be there or something. You know, make an appearance with him."

She smiles, quickly glancing over in my direction. "Its definitely an old lady thing. Zach asked me to go every time they had one after he took claim on me. It's MC family tradition, I suppose is the best way to describe it. Are you excited to go?"

"Well," I drawl. "I'm happy to be getting out of the house. Not real sure how to feel about it, though."

"Why?" she asks.

"Because I'm sure Vincent's brothers are still pissed with everything that happened with Tori."

"But she was the one that started the fight." she says with a smile.

"Yeah," I sigh. "but I don't think that matters to them. I'm the outsider in this situation. Plus last week Vincent fired her. And a couple of weeks before that, Mike had me in this courtroom looking space in the club, interrogating me. Both reasons are enough for them to be pissed off that I'm still around."

Her eyes grow to saucers as she gasps. "Wait... Vincent fired her?!"

"Yeah. I overheard him tell her that no club whore was going to fuck with his old lady. Then he told her to get her ass out of his bar. He didn't even flinch."

"Holy shitballs, Cat! That's fucking hilarious! I bet her mouth dropped open so far that you could have fit fifty flies in it." Gabi says, bursting out laughing.

I couldn't help but to laugh myself. Gabi has that kind of laughter that's contagious. "Yeah I just wish he hadn't done it because now I'm sure she thinks I can't take care of myself and need him to fight my battles for me."

"I'm sure he wasn't meaning it that way."

"Oh, I know he wasn't. I just know that that's what Tori is going to think."

"Well let her think it. Then if or when she starts her shit again and you stomp her ass, she'll find out you don't need anyone fighting your battles for you."

Again I can't help, but laugh a little. "Hopefully I'm just making a mountain out of a molehill and nothing will happen."

"Oh, screw them. Don't let them ruin your night. Just go and enjoy yourself."

"You know what?... You're right. Screw them!"

We drive the rest of the way to the cemetery in silence. When we arrive, I follow her up to the tombstone. It's been years since I've been here and I can't help the chills that travel up my spine as we near his rock. From the looks of things, Gabi has been doing a great job of making sure it's taken care of. I feel so bad that I moved away and left all of this on her to deal with.

I kneel down and run my fingers over the front of the tombstone. It has a motorcycle at the very top which is followed by:

Zachary Chandler

June 14, 1978 — June 14, 1999

Loving Son, Brother &amp; Friend

An angel taken from this world far too soon.

I remember going to have it ordered with my parents. I was angry that they chose to put a motorcycle on it after knowing that it was the motorcycle club that got him killed in the first place, but my father explained to me it wasn't symbolizing the MC. It was symbolizing his love for motorcycles.

I suddenly feel a flood of emotion come over me. A tear runs down my face. As I wipe it away, I feel a hand cup over my shoulder and when I look up, it's to see tears pooling in Gabriella's eyes as well.

I begin to stand up, and as I do, Gabi takes me in a huge embrace which catches me off guard because I'm still not sure how I feel towards her. Now I know that sounds bad to say with everything she's done for me by keeping my secret safely tucked inside of her heart, but I still have this feeling—or cop intuition, call it whatever you want—of still being unable to fully trust her yet. I just know she knows more than she's actually telling me about my brother's death.

A shiver runs through me and I instantly get this feeling of being watched, which makes me go on alert. I guess Gabi could feel the change in me, because she too has stiffened. "Cat? Are you okay?"

"I don't know," I answer honestly. "I've just got this feeling that somebody is watching me." I say as I start scanning the cemetery.

Gabi starts looking around with me. "I don't see anyone." she whispers. "But I'm getting the same vibe as you."

I straighten myself, wiping away the remnants of my tears as I turn towards the direction where Gabi parked. "Maybe we should go. I can't take any chances of being caught and blowing my cover anyways."

"Okay." she replies as we start walking away from the cemetery.

* * *

**Vincent POV**

I grab my keys as I head out of the door and jog over to the garage to get my bike before Erica has the time to catch up with me. I don't know why I freaked out so much at her using the word _beast_, but I did. Which I'm learning, as I drive down the curvy back road, that that was a foolish reaction on my part.

As planned, I head over to the cemetery. It's been a while since I've been here, the last time being on Alex's and my wedding anniversary. I know that sounds bad, but between dealing with Erica and taking things over with the MC, I haven't had much time to. And of course, it seems to get harder and harder to visit each time because I'm their fucking murderer. And I won't soon forget it either. Every time I visit Alex and Olivia's graves, that grizzly image of them when they died flashes in my head.

I walk up to their tombstones and fall down onto my knees. I place flowers down onto each of their graves, as I always have done so, while trying to find the right words to say to them. It's a struggle I'm faced with each and every visit.

"Sorry it's taken me so long to come by, babe." I say, touching Alex's tombstone. "I haven't forgotten either of you. In fact, you've both haunted my sleep and daylight dreams ever since..." I trail off, my throat tightening with emotion. "Anyways, I think of you both everyday." I continue. "I miss you both so deeply. Honestly, I don't know how I make it through each day without you both with me. I can't apologize enough for what I've done to you. I just hope you both know how much I loved you. How much I still do."

I run my fingers over their tombstones as a silent tear trails down my cheek. "So much is going on right now in my life, but I'm sure I don't have to tell you that though." I chuckle, swiping away the tears that continue to spill over. "I just wish I could change things. I wish you both were still here with me. I wish one of you could give me a sign to let me know if what I'm doing is right because I'm just not sure how to do this anymore."

It is in that moment that I completely crumble. Sadness of their deaths quickly turns to rage towards myself for everything that happened that night. I'll never be able to forgive myself.

Never.

"How could you!" I scream at nobody but myself. "You should've known better! DAMMIT, Vincent! You're so stupid! A stupid fucking fuck-up!"

As the anger builds in me, I can feel my control over the beast start to waver. I know my eyes are starting to glow that bright amber color they do when he starts to emerge. I start screaming at him again. "Fuck you, you stupid animal! You did this to me! You took them away from me! My life, gone! I hate you! Why can't you just leave me the hell alone?"

That was the wrong thing to do. Taunting him has never had a good result in the past, so I quickly stand and try to calm myself down before I completely lose control over him and he fully takes over.

God only knows what he'll do if I lose this battle.

I take a few breathes, reciting calming words to him—although reluctantly because I do hate that he's a part of me—and slowly, the beast regress's. When everything calms, I look at my watch and see that it's getting close to time for me to be at the club to patch in the new prospects, so leaning over the tombstones, I place a kiss to the tips of my fingers and press them against the cold rocks of my dead wife and daughter. "I love you, sweethearts."

As I begin to walk away a feeling hits me to go visit "my brother's" grave while I'm here, so I walk over the hill towards the side where he is buried. I walk past this big beautiful white oak tree in the middle of the cemetery. But I see that I'm not alone here and instantly my cheeks heat as I wonder whether or not the other visitors of the cemetery heard me screaming at myself moments earlier. Then I realize that these particular visitors are at Zach's grave.

At first, I think my eyes are playing games with me. But as I grow closer to his grave, I know that I'm hallucinating. I just can't believe who I see.

"Erica?..."

_What is she doing here?_

And she's not alone. I focus to see who is with her and realize it's Gabriella, my late brother, Zach Chandler's old lady. Questions start running through my head.

How the hell does Erica know Gabi? Did she also know Zach? How long has she known them? Why didn't Zach tell me about her when he was alive?

I sense emotions shift from sorrow to nervousness and I'm not sure who of the two women these emotions are flowing freely from. Erica starts scanning the graveyard. I duck behind the tree and try not to move. I don't want her to know I'm here because all that will do is bring up more questions, and now is not the time or place for all of this. So, I wait until they both disappear down the road before I make my way over to my bike and leave.

* * *

**Catherine's POV**

Leaving the cemetery with Gabi, I still can't seem to shake this feeling that someone else was there watching me. Gooseflesh travels up my arms just thinking about it. But nobody was there. At least, no one that could have been seen. So I decide to shake it off as just being paranoid.

A service station comes into view about two minutes before the town limits and I ask Gabi to pull over so I can grab something to drink. Maybe it will help to have something cold on my soured stomach after the events of the cemetery. Gabi waits in the car as I make my way inside, only to smack into...

"Knox?" What the hell is he doing here? Is he following me? Was he the one I felt watching me back at the cemetery? "What are you doing here?"

His eyes tell me that I'm right about him following me. "I need to talk to you." his voice is low so only I can hear him.

"How long have you been following me? Were you at the graveyard?"

"Graveyard?..." he asks, confused.

I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose in irritation. "Never mind. What do you want?"

"You need to get me that info on Keller and the Ryders MC. And _soon_. I need this case, Chandler. I'm so close to victory, I can taste it."

"You make it sound like it's _so__oooo_ fucking easy." I say, crossing my arms as my eyes travel around the store to see if anyone else is listening in. I'm telling you, after the events of today, I'm paranoid as fuck!

"Well, you are living with Keller now, are you not?"

My eyes widen. How did he... "How the hell did you know that? We haven't spoken in weeks."

"Answer the question, Catherine."

"Fine! Yes, I am. But not by choice and it's not like he's spilling his guts to someone he barely knows just because he's allowing me to stay there." I say that last part through gritted teeth.

"So? You still have access to be able to find things out. I am running out of time here." he snaps. And that angers me because why in the hell does he have the right to be angry with me? Did I not tell him that with this type of situation, it would take time to get him what he needed?

_Fuck him!_

"You know what, Knox? I'm done! I don't have to take this treatment from you or from anybody else. You can go find another sucker to help you." I say as I raise my hands in the air.

Knox doesn't like my answer one bit. But honestly, I don't give a damn. I'm sick and tired of the people in my life telling me what to fucking do. I turn around to leave, may the cold drink calling out my name be damned until I can get back into town, when the agent's words stop me in my tracks...

"What if I give you more info on your brother?"

I pause, taking in his words. I mean, isn't this what got me involved with him in the first place? But still... "I'm listening."

"Meet me at the grocery store near the motel tonight at ten, and I'll have something for you. Maybe it'll help inspire you to help me take these pieces of shit out."

"I can't tonight," _Dammit, the bonfire!_ "I have plans. There's this bonfire thing I have to go to. I've already told Vincent I would go with him. It's to do with the Ryders MC. Not really sure what it is exactly, I was just told it was a bonfire."

Knox goes quiet for a second, but I'm sure his mind is racing with all of the thoughts of what I might be able to find out at this bonfire tonight. But I hate to burst his bubble. For tonight, I'm unwinding and relaxing for once. I think I deserve it after everything I've been through.

"Okay, then, meet me tomorrow at noon. Same place I mentioned."

That'll work fine for me. "Sure."

Knox leaves. I turn around and grab myself a Pepsi before heading towards the cash register to check out.

I'm still shook up with my conversation with Knox, and with how Gabi is looking at me with concern, I'm sure my expression is one of agitation.

"What's wrong? You look upset." she asks, as I sit in the car and close the door.

"Oh, it's nothing really. Just some creep inside pissed me off."

"Oh," she pulls out to the road again. "Don't you just hate assholes like that?" she smiles. And I'm relieved that she's dropped it.

And then I realize she just called Knox an asshole. I can't help but laugh at how true her words are, even though she doesn't know who we were talking about. "Yeah."

As we make it back to her house, I ask if I can be able to take some of Zach's stuff over to the homestead I bought nearly a month ago to go through.

"Sure, all of his motorcycle and personal things are boxed up separately in the attic. They're labled too, so it won't be hard to decipher which is which. You're more than welcome to take what you like."

"Thanks, Gabi." I smile. And it's genuine.

She sighs. "It hurt to much to have them laying around the house. But I just couldn't bring myself to throw any of it away either. But seriously, take whatever you need."

I nod. For the rest of the afternoon, we both head up to the attic and start carrying down boxes to my truck. By the time we're through, there's a total of eight boxes of Zach's stuff ready to go over to my house.

I leave Gabi's with a hug and a thank you before heading over to the homestead. I only find the time to sit the boxes inside, because now I'm gonna have to rush back to Vincent's if I want to be ready in time for the bonfire.

_Shower, here I come!_

* * *

**Vincent POV**

As I pull up to the club I can see all the other club members are here and they have a closed sign on the front door. I walk inside, tossing out my cigarette, and it seems that the MC are already hanging out with beers in their hands, talking amongst themselves like one big happy fucking family. It's cute, really.

My eyes scan the clubhouse, instantly landing on the people I'm here to see. Prospects, Darius Bishop—A.K.A. 'Clubby', Patrick Franco—A.K.A. 'Reckless' and Kyle Johnson—A.K.A. 'Medic' are standing together at the bar with shots. If I were to guess, they seem a little nervous. Good. They should be for what's about to take place.

Let's get this party started, shall we?

I motion for Pitbull, Killer, Doc (otherwise known as JT) &amp; Brit to follow me. Entering the office, we begin discussing what's to take place with the prospects. "So, is everything set up for the initiation?" I ask, sitting in the desk chair before propping my feet up onto the table.

"Yes." answers Pitbull.

"We have all of the patches set up and ready." Brit adds.

I nod, twisting the chair from side to side. My feet drop as I come to a stand. "Alright. Good. Do they know what's about to happen?"

"Yes." they all reply in unison.

"And the sponsors know they're roll?" I ask, mainly looking over at Brit.

He nods his head and says, "Yes."

Awesome. Here we go!

"Okay then. Let's get it started then." I say as I'm opening the door. Walking out of the office, I motion for Brit to grab our lovely prospects.

The entire club goes silent as we begin the initiating process. We line up the three prospects in front of everyone, as I pull out the oath of the club. "Alright we will do this one at a time" I say. "Clubby, you're up first. Just repeat after me."

Darius walks up to stand in front of me.

I begin reciting the oath of the Ryders MC. "Say: I, Darius Bishop A.K.A. 'Clubby' will follow the rules of the Ryders MC. I will never bring any harm to any of my fellow brothers. I will do whatever is asked of me in this club. I will never bring any unwanted trouble or disgrace to the group. And I will help to find ways for the club to prosper. This I solemnly swear."

Darius steps back into line as Patrick steps forward to pledge his oath, followed by Kyle. After the oaths are taken the following step to being a club member is to be beaten in, so I turn to them one last time to ask if they are sure this is what they want.

"Okay, this is your last and final chance to walk away. Are you sure you still want to become part of Ryders? If not now's the time to say so and leave."

They all look confident as they nod their heads in answer.

I turn around to face the rest of the MC and say, "Alright boys! Have at it."

As they start to head towards them I turn to leave when I see Joe staring at his blood brother with wide eyes. I know what he's thinking. But they all know the drill of becoming a member of this MC. Whether we like it or not, this is the way it is.

"And Cappy?"

"Yeah?" he says, his eyes finally meeting mine.

I hate what I'm about to say. But for some unknown reason, I say it anyways. "Don't go easy on him just 'cause he's your brother."

He nods in reply and the beat down begins.

After everything is said and done the guys have a bloody nose and busted lips. They will probably wake up with some bruises in the morning, too, but they made it through the initiation pretty well and are now a patched in as official members of the Ryders MC.

I leave the club, reminding all of them to bring their families out to the fields to celebrate with us before heading towards the restaurant for my next important meeting.

I pull up to Coyote's Bar &amp; Grill and make my way inside. As I walk through the door the hostess greets me. The hostess is a younger guy, probably in his early twenties. "Hi my name is Eric. How many are in your party?"

"Two under the name Vincent Keller. I'm meeting a client here, actually. But he may already be here."

"Ah, yes. The guy showed up just a few minutes ago. Right this way, Sir." the hostess says.

Eric leads me through the restaurant. I make note that there's a lot of people here and it's quite noisy. Typical for a Friday night out in the city. Honestly, I'm uncomfortable with large crowds, so I start questioning the restaurant choice of the client.

But then I'm relieved when the hostess directs me a little ways more in the back to a table off to itself in the corner and finally the chatter of the restaurant drowns out to the point where you can barely hear it. Before seated, I shake the client's hand as the hostess tells us that our server will be with us soon. Soon he turns and leaves us to our meeting.

"Hello, Mr. Braxton. It's good to finally meet you. As you may already know, I'm Vincent Keller. I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long, and for that, I apologize."

"No need, Mr. Keller. And please, call me Peter. Mr. Braxton makes me feel old." he says with a smirk.

Peter Braxton is a sixty-something, richer-than-most man. "Okay, Peter." I begin, laying down my leather notebook on the table in front of me, opening to a clean page. "So how can I be of service to you? You were pretty vague in your email to me."

"Yes, and for good reason, too. I'm interested in your services to flip a house for me. Well, it's actually going to be a gift for my daughter, hence the vagueness of my email. Women can be such nosy characters, you know."

I chuckle, because God knows how true that statement can be.

"Anyways, Mr. Keller, I've seen pictures of your work through colleagues and I'm very impressed. Do you normally work alone? Or do you have your own crew?"

I open my mouth to speak, but as I do our server walks up, interrupting us as she sits two glasses of water down onto the table. "Hi my name is Alexica and I'll be your server today. What can I get for you, boys?"

Alexica? What a unique, strange name for such an attractive woman with dark brown eyes and blonde hair, cut into a bob. Although, she's definitely not my type, not to mention that she's way too young too. She doesn't look a day older than eighteen. But I can't say the same for her considering she's eye-fucking me right now.

"Alexica, well that's a very unique and beautiful name." Braxton says.

She smiles, turning her attention to the old man. "Thank you. It's my middle name. My mother came up with it by using both of my grandmothers names."

"How lovely. And what were their names?" Braxton obviously does not care about the young woman's age. He's clearly flirting with her, and she doesn't seem to mind either. Where she sees attractive badboy in me, she obviously sees dollar signs with Braxton.

"Alexandria and Erica" she replies. And I choke on my sip of water.

Both Braxton and Alexica are staring at me with wide eyes as I cough. "Wrong pipe." I weeze when I finally catch my breath to speak. Braxton continues his flirting.

"Beautiful names. And your first name?" he asks.

She beams at Braxton's interest in her. "It's Katherine with a K."

"Also very beautiful." Braxton, you sly fox, you.

"Thank you," She replies. "Are y'all ready to order?"

I nod my head at Braxton to go first. "I'll have the 8oz steak, medium well, with the garlic mashed potatoes and green beans. Also can you bring a bottle of A-1 steak sauce?"

She nods, scribbling his order down onto a small leather notepad. "And for your drink?"

"Miller. Draft."

And then her almost black eyes come up from her notepad to me. "And for you, _Sir_?" Damn, she's laying it on thick, if the sultry way she asked that question was any indication.

Desperation at it's finest.

"I'll have the same, only I want my steak well done. I don't care if you have to burn it as long as it's done all the way." I reply, not giving her the satisfaction of flirting with her, although, I am polite even though I'm cursing her out inside of my head.

"Alright, I'll get your orders placed for you."

"Thank you." I say, relieved that she's now gone. I return my attention to Braxton. "I do have a small crew, but I've found that sometimes working alone can be both therapeutic yet challenging. And I do love me a good challenge, Mr. Braxton."

"Peter, please."

"Of course." I smile. "So, what exactly do you want done to the house? I mean, when you say flip, it obviously means you want me to redo the entire thing. But specifically, what did you have in mind?"

"Well, I know the electrical work will need to be updated. The floors and some of the walls could use some work as well. Other than that, I really don't know. But I'm sure after you take a look at it, you'll be able to see what all needs to be fixed. And then we can work out what to do from there."

Okay. Sounds doable. "Are you wanting any additions added to it?"

He thinks about it for a minute before responding. "No, it's a pretty good sized house already."

"What type of house are we talking about? Red brick? Cobblestone? Cabin? Ranch-style? Modern? Do you have any photos with you that I can look at to get an idea of what to work with?"

At that moment Alexica our server walks up with our food and sits both plates and a bottle of A-1 down onto the table. It looks delicious. "Can I get anything else for you gentlemen?"

"No, everything looks perfect." Braxton says. I nod in agreement with a polite smile.

As she walks away, we both begin eating as Braxton answers my previous question. "Well it's an old Victorian house, an antique. But it's pretty run down. The last tenants of the house were, how shall I say it? Rough." I nod in understanding, chewing a bite of steak. He continues, "To be frank, Mr. Keller, I would like to bring it back to it's original glory."

I swallow, sipping my water instead of my beer. It wasn't until the server placed our meals down that I remembered I have to drive an hour back to Falling Spring and alcohol might make that drive...difficult. "Antique houses can run into quite a bit of money, Peter."

"Money is of no issue. I just want the best for my little girl. I want to see her happy."

A string of jealousy hits me with the mention of his daughter. I'll never get the opportunity to ever do something so extravagant for Olivia. To put it bluntly, I'm hurt, but I shake off the emotion as soon as it strikes me. I have to be professional here, after all. "Alright then. I'll set up a time next week to meet you and take a look at the property to see what needs to be done before we can discuss any extra changes with the house."

"Perfect." he smiles.

"And I'll bring some different samples for the flooring, paint colors and so on with me when I come, that way you can take them home with you and see what your daughter likes best."

"Actually," he interjects. "I can have Allison come to the next meeting, that way we can get the ball rolling on this project and, hopefully, have it finished before winter sets in."

I nod. "Not a problem. I'll make sure my crew is prepared to help have everything done and I'll have my schedule cleared to start after our next meeting."

"Great."

We spend the rest of our meal just chit chatting about the property and different houses I've built or flipped over the years. As we go to leave after I paid the bill—my insistence, of course—we shake hands and I tell him that I'll call to set up our next meeting as soon as I make it back to my office.

"If you need to reschedule, or need help with anything at all before the meeting, here is my business card with my personal cell number written on the back." I add.

He smacks my shoulder as we make our way outside. "It was nice doing business with you, Mr. Keller."

* * *

**Catherine POV**

"Vincent?" I call out as soon as I walk into his house, closing the door behind me. Vincent made me a key to the house last week so that I could come and go—_once my healing process was fully finished, of course_—as I pleased. The house is silent. Nobody is home. So I take advantage of the short time I may have left before he arrives back to run and take a quick shower. Who knew lifting a bunch of boxes, both heavy and light in weight, back and forth to my house would have been a workout? I built up quite a good amount of sweat, so I stink.

And damn the shower feels good on my sore muscles as well.

As I hop out of the shower, I put on a pair of tight fitting blue jeans, a black tank that has gold colored angel wings on the back of it and a pair of my leather heeled boots. When I walk out into the living room to get to the kitchen, I nearly collide into a wall of muscle.

"Jesus, Vincent! Sorry, I didn't even hear you come in."

He studies me for a minute, his eyes slowly dropping down my body before coming back up tp meet my own. My cheeks heat and a slight tingle begins humming between my legs with how he's looking at me right now. "I just got here, actually. I was on my way to take a quick shower before we have to head out. Is that what you're wearing?"

_What the fu..._. Did he seriously just ask me that?

"Go right ahead. I just got out, there should still be enough hot water left." I purposely ignore his ridiculous question about my attire. Thankfully, he doesn't push the issue. Whatever the issue with my clothes may be.

He brushes past me and heads for the bathroom while I search the fridge for beer, trying to take my mind off how good his body felt briefly pressed against mine as he walked by me, even if it was kind of rude of him to just bump into me like he did. I'm getting the feeling that there's something upsetting on his mind. But if it had to do with me, I'm sure he would have said something, so for now, I drop it.

I close the fridge. Looks like we're out of beer and I make a mental note to pick some up tomorrow. Heading up to the room I'm staying in, I grab my makeup bag and hair supplies and go to the smaller bathroom to finish getting ready.

I'm standing in the living room when Vincent comes down, dressed in a sexy dark pair of jeans and black short sleeved t-shirt glues to the muscles of his biceps showing off that amazing tattoo. His hair is still damp from his shower, pieces of it falling down onto his brow. My sex clenches at the sight of him.

Dear God... Help me now!

I decide to speak so that my staring doesn't make this any more awkward than it feels. "Ready to go?"

"Yea, in just a minute." he huffs, plopping down in the chair closest to the door as he begins shoving his feet into a pair of worn black workman boots.

And it becomes clear that his behavior earlier and the way he's acting now is directed towards me. But the why is unknown to me at this point. So I ask him. "Is there something wrong? You're acting all, I don't know, pissed off or something."

He huffs again, only it sounds more like an irritated chuckle. "Well," he drawls. "now that you mention it, what were you doing at the graveyard today?"

My eyes go wide and my words get caught up in my throat. So it was him that I sensed watching me earlier today. Was he following me around today too? What the hell is wrong with the men in my life stalking me?

And now, I'm getting pissed. But I try to regain my composure and answer him before he becomes suspicious of my silence. "I was there with a friend. Why? Is there a problem?"

"How do you know Gabriella?" he asks, completely ignoring my question.

This pisses me off even more, and in an agitated tone, I respond. "Why does it even matter how the fuck I know her?"

He keeps ignoring my questions and throwing out his own. And he knows it's pissing me the fuck off. But he doesn't seem to care about my feelings at all. "Did you know her boyfriend Zach, too?"

I stand there trying to think of something to say that isn't a lie, but isn't telling the whole truth either.

Man, I'm fucked if I lie, fucked if I don't.

So I decide to just ignore the question about Zach. It's not like he hasn't been ignoring the hell out of mine. "I still don't get what the big deal is here, Vincent. I mean, forgive me for making friends during my fucking stay in town other than the_ lovely_ people I've met at Katz." I'm being sarcastic when I say the word "lovely". He knows good and damn well the only people that I've truly built friendships with at Katz are JT and Tess.

I brace myself for a war with him because things just might get ugly here. Hell, my cover may even get blown in the process. For all I know, he probably already knows and is just prolonging the inevitable.

_I'm so fucked!_

He pauses for a split second, which gives me the opportunity to take and get us out of this stupid conversation. Crossing my arms, I raise both brows, daring him to fuck with me right now. "Is the interrogation over now? If so, we need to get going or we're going to be late for the bonfire."

That snaps him out of whatever battle we're dealing with here as he comes to a stand and walks over to where I'm standing. I can feel the heat from his body, he's standing so close, and my traitorous body reacts instantly. He bends his head down until we're at nose level, studying me before he speaks. "Let's go." and with that, he reaches behind me and snatches his leather jacket before grabbing his keys from the hook beside the door, and heading outside. My body flinches when he slams the door shut behind him. With a deep sigh, I follow the crazy bastard out to his bike, climbing on behind him. I'm hoping the conversation that just took place is finally over...

…..but I have a funny feeling that this is only just the beginning of it.

* * *

_****Sooooo... what did y'all think? Firstly, let's give Heather, my co-author/ghostwriter, a round of a plause for her awesome help/work on this chapter. She is totally a godsend! Thanks so much babe! I know I keep saying that, but I don't think words are enough to thank you for all that you have done to support and help me with any of my projects. Thank you readers for continuing to follow me on fanfiction even though I take ten years to upload chapters lol. I think it is safe to say that between Heather and I, the chapters will be flowing. Love you guys! Thanks again everyone! You're all a gem! XOXO!****_


	14. Ch 13 - Beastly

**Disclaimer:**** Although I own the rights to this story, I do not own BATB or it's characters.**

**Summary:**** (AU) – Catherine**** Chandler lost her brother, Zach, to The Ryders MC biker club as a young child. All grown up, she is New York's favorite undercover officer and PI. Once she takes her vacation, her work doesn't stop there. She returns to Falling Spring, West Virginia where it all began, to exact revenge on the biker gang. What she doesn't bargain for is Vincent, also known as Beast—the newly-elected vice-president of the gang and Zach's best friend. When Catherine and Vincent come face-to-face, the sparks are immediate, and Catherine finds herself torn between exacting vengeance for her shattered past, and an uncertain future in the arms of a biker bad boy.**

**Warning:****This story contains explicit language, graphic sexual adult content, gang violence, and drug usage. If you DO NOT wish to read any of the named above, then I advise that you not read this story at all. **

**A/N: Thanks guys for your reviews! We truly appreciate them :) And Merry (late) Christmas! Here is your present, beasties ;) Love you guys! Enjoy! And don't forget to review!**

* * *

_**-Chapter 13—Beastly-**_

**Vincent's POV**

We start the thirty minute drive to the bonfire site up in the fields. As we pull out of the driveway, my thoughts go back to the fight we just had in the living room. I feel completely confused because the beast inside of me is telling me that he doesn't sense any lies. But something is also telling me, deep within my gut, that she's not telling me the _whole_ truth neither.

She is right about one thing, though. We do need to get going because we're running late as it is. So I try my best to push everything out of my mind, no matter how difficult it is to do so and honestly, I know that clearing my mind of what just took place won't last long.

By the time I return my train of thought back onto the bonfire, we begin driving down the dirt road towards the site. It is in this moment, I realize, that I don't even remember how we got here.

Yeah. So much for settling my mind.

_Which route did I take? Did I run any red lights? Did I pull out in front of anyone?_

When I place my feet down, bringing the bike to a stop, I thank God that we didn't have a wreck on the way here. Despite currently being angry at Erica, I hate myself for not keeping my direct attention on the road and putting not only myself, but her in danger.

God, how I would have never forgiven myself if something had happened to her, too. Seems like death and injury seems to follow me wherever I go.

Shaking my head of those thoughts, I raise my hand for Erica to grab as way of supporting herself off of the bike. As soon as she clasps my hand, using her other hand on my shoulder to push herself up off the bike, an electric charge begins to build, shooting little sparks throughout my body.

Her touch is soft, her hand small like a delicate flower. And damn, she smells amazing. Like lavender and vanilla. She's beautiful too, but my stubborn ass was too consumed on the conversation back at the house to even notice just how beautiful she truly is tonight.

My only regret in this moment is missing out on the way she must have felt wrapping her arms around me on the drive over here.

Once she hops off, I take my foot and flip down the kick stand before getting off myself. I take a minute to keep my back towards her so that I can adjust myself. God knows I would never live it down if I showed up with a major hard on.

One that Erica Barker helped create with a simple touch of her hands.

Then without speaking, we begin the trek up towards the party.

* * *

The fire is blazing when we arrive. There's several log stumps placed all around the pit for seating. The food is set up on the tables and several brands of beer are sitting in a larger metal tub surrounded by half melted ice.

Everything is absolutely perfect.

"Hey V! Over here!"

I turn in the direction of the voice calling out to me to see JT waving at me to come over to where he and Tess are sitting at some wooden picnic tables the MC brought up years ago. I glance down at Erica, who nods for me to lead the way. She looks completely uncomfortable at this point. But who could blame her, considering the MC didn't quite welcome her with open arms.

It isn't until we come closer to the table that I hear a familiar tiny voice that always brings a smile to me. "UNCLE VINCENT! UNCLE VINCENT!"

I kneel with a huge smile as JT and Tess' daughter comes barreling towards me. I take her up in my arms, and flip her up over my shoulder. She begins to wiggle and laugh as I start to tickle her.

"Come on, Jessa, quit bugging Uncle Vinny. He just got here." JT says with a chuckle.

Placing Jessa down from my shoulder, she takes off running back to her dad while still laughing and I can't help the smile that continues to linger. JT walks over to us with a clap to my back before handing me and Erica a beer, sitting back down on the log stump near him. Babygirl, my nickname for Jessa, jumps up onto his lap with a giggle.

Erica leans in towards my ear with a small grin playing at her lips. "Seems like you have a fan, _Uncle Vi__nny._"

Oh, yeah. That makes me smile even bigger, if that's at all possible. My anger from earlier has temporarily dissipated. "Yeah, well, it's probably because I spoil her too much."

She giggles as she says, "Maybe. But I doubt that's the only reason."

I smile at her, then look at Jessa. "Wanna go make some s'mores?"

Jessa starts jumping up and down. "YES! Please!"

With a shake of my head and a laugh, Jessa and I head over to the fire pit while Erica, JT and Tess hang back talking. JT catches up to me a moment later.

Minutes turn into an hour of watching everyone enjoying themselves at the party. So far, my brothers in the MC are being respectful of the virgin eyes and ears surrounding the fire pit. Good. That's how they should act around women and children anyways.

Respectful.

JT and I talk about nothing in general while we watch Jessa, and I can't help that my mind starts to wonder off to Olivia. You know, she really would've loved these late night bonfires the MC has occasionally. I can picture it even now. She would've had a blast playing with all the other kids. But even if she were alive, I never would have brought her around the MC anyways. All I ever wanted was to protect her.

_Pfft! Yeah... look how well that turned out, Vincent._

Tears prick my eyes at the everlasting reminder of what I've done. I fight them by tipping up my beer and taking a generous drink before I light myself a cigarette. Of course, I get up and walk away from Jessa, but I'm still close by to the fire pit.

JT notices the change in my mood, but he doesn't say anything. Which I'm grateful for. I'm not sure that I wouldn't snap his head off if he were to say anything to me right now. Finishing my cigarette, I pinch off the lit end, tossing it into the fire as I shove the filter into my pocket.

I notice Jessa is struggling to get her marshmallow onto her stick, so I kneel next to her and say, "Hey, Babygirl," she looks up at me with her innocent brown eyes. I tilt my head at the stick in her hands. "Need some help with that?"

"Yes, please." she replies in her sweet, small voice while handing me the stick.

"Okay. How about you go get you some chocolate and graham crackers from your daddy?" I say with a smile.

She smiles in return, nodding her head as she takes off running towards JT. I sit down on one of the log stump seats with a chuckle. That girl is something else, let me tell you. Beautiful. Smart. JT is going to lose his shit when it comes time for her to take interest in boys. Again, my mind plagues me with the thought that I'll never get that with Olivia and emotion begins choking me. I shake it off with another sip of my beer.

By the time Jessa returns with the chocolate and graham crackers, I've already roasted the marshmallow. She raises the cracker and chocolate up to me and I help her to finish putting together the sugary sandwich and instantly, she tries to cram the whole thing into her mouth.

"Jesus, Jessa!" JT shouts from the opposite side of me and I can't help it.

I laugh.

In fact, I laugh so hard at the sight of the little girl, cheeks so full she looks like a chipmunk, melted chocolate and marshmallow all over her mouth, nose, and fingers, I nearly piss myself.

Damn, I sure as hell needed that.

It feels good to get a good laugh out every once in a while. Only, I think this is the first in a long time. JT has joined in on the laughter, trying but failing to wipe away the mess on her tiny heart-shaped face. But my laughter dies quickly when I spot some of our new prospects enjoying themselves a little too much with some women.

_For Christ sakes!_

That shit doesn't flow too well with me. I mean, for the love of God, there are children around. They don't need to see that shit.

I stand and dart in their direction, coming upon Darius from behind, who's face is shoved into the breasts of one of the girls I now recognize from Katz.

"Really?!" I growl under my breath, causing both Darius and the woman to startle. "Don't you think it would be a good idea to take this private party somewhere else? In case you both haven't noticed, there are kids walking around that can see."

"Ummm… yeah. Shit. Sorry." he replies, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Taking the club whore's hand, they both walk further down a path into the darkness of the woods, and further away from the party.

_Thank fuck!_

But as I turn to the rest of the group, also enjoying themselves in the same inappropriate manner, I curse under my breath and say vehemently, "That goes for all of you!"

They immediately scurry up the pathway behind Darius and his piece for the night as I make my way back over to the fire pit where Jessa asks for another s'more.

"Another one? Are you sure, now, Jessa? You might get a tummy ache." I say, propping her up onto my lap. I look around to see if I can spot Erica and find her in an animated conversation with Tess.

_Jesus..._

_They're still talking?_

I wonder if Erica is talking about me or if they're talking about something or someone else entirely. And as if she senses my thoughts, she looks up and our eyes meet.

_Zap!_

I break the connection immediately, returning my attention back to Jessa, then, I look over to JT to see whether he wants Babygirl to have another s'more or not.

"One more, then it's bedtime for you, little lady." JT says with a wink to Jessa.

As I start melting the marshmallow though, Jessa falls asleep on my chest. I put the stick, and the toasted marshmallow down onto the ground. JT walks over and sits beside me, taking Jessa into his own arms, playing with her hair so that she can go back to sleep. "So..." he trails off.

"So..." I mimic, finishing the rest of my beer.

He looks over at me. "How's Mike?"

"As well as Mike can be."

He chuckles. "Very true, that one. And how're things going with Erica?"

I contemplate telling him this evening's events with our verbal boxing match in my living room, but decide to wait. "It's going, brother. It's going," I pause with a heavy sigh. "She's still healing from the fight with Tori, but I think she should be back to one hundred percent very soon."

"That's not what I was meaning, V."

I give him a look of confusion, trying to figure out what he's talking about, when it dawns on me. "JT, you know good and damn well why I took claim on her. It was to protect her from those heathens and nothing else. The _only_ reason."

JT raises his a brow as if he doesn't believe me and mumbles, "You could have fooled me."

"What the hell are you getting at, man?" I hiss under my breath.

He huffs a laugh before responding. "I'm talking about the looks y'all were givin' each other not even a few minutes ago."

_Shit!_ He saw that? "Looks? What looks?"

"The one Erica was giving you when you were playing with Jessa for one. It wasn't the normal look she usually gives you. Then there was the way you kept looking 'round for her nearly every five seconds. And no one could have missed the stare-off you both shared merely seconds ago. It was... never mind."

Oh, no he doesn't. He can't sit there and say things like that and not even finish. I mean, sharing is caring, right? "It was what?"

He doesn't say anything, picking at the label on his beer bottle.

"Just say it, JT!"

"You're gonna be mad."

"I'm gonna be even _more_ pissed if you don't tell me."

He sighs, sitting the glass bottle down beside him on the ground before looking up at me. "I've never seen you look at Alex the way that you've looked at Erica tonight, the entire time y'all were together."

The blood drains from my face as my heart palpitates.

_What the ever loving fuck?!_

"See?" he says. "I told you that you would get mad." and with that, he tightens his arms around Jessa and stands, leaving me to the popping, dancing flames in front of me...

….and my thoughts.

_Fuck!_

* * *

**C****atherine's POV**

When Vincent and I rode over to the fields, we drove in complete silence. My guess is that it has to do with the fight from earlier. So I decide to keep my mouth shut in fear of bringing it all back up again. I admit, it was my fault. I should have never went to the cemetery in the first place because now, I'm sure Vincent's new-found suspicion with me will keep him more alert with more of a watchful eye.

Great. Just perfect.

From now on, I'll just have to be more careful with the choices I make. One more fuck-up, and I'm sure I'll be exposed.

And that's the last thing I want. Or even need, considering how close I am to finding justice for my brother's death.

When we arrived, my eyes took everything in. From the large fire pit with sanded down log stumps for sitting surrounding it, to the drinking going on all over the place, to the soft bass of the classic rock and country music blaring from the speakers of a nearby truck, to the tables both occupied with people and food. Then there was the laughter of children running wild around the open space of the open field, playing Kick the Can. And even dancing.

_Yep, it's official, _I think to myself. _I'm definitely back in __small town,__ West Virginia. _

Because this had to be one of the most redneck parties I've been to in _years_. Hell, toss in a few bells of hay, a rusty old tractor, and a barn and we're all set.

We're instantly greeted by JT and Tess, along with their daughter—which I soon discover is Jessa Forbes. The moment her big beautiful brown eyes met us, her face lit up in joy, her little legs moving in a sprint and she catapulted herself up into Vincent's arms. He smiles at her.

Smiles.

His smile is both beautiful and contagious because now I'm smiling, too with seeing his joy in this little girl. And I can't help the warmth that fills me with the picture-perfect moment.

Vincent and Jessa take off over to the fire pit, leaving JT, Tess and I behind.

"Well," JT says with a chuckle. "you already know my beautiful wife, Tess. The monkey you see hanging off of V's arm, though, is our little princess, Jessa."

I smile at him. "She's precious."

"Thanks." he says. "But I'd better catch up with V. You ladies enjoy yourselves." He pecks Tess on the lips before taking off to sit down next to the fire with Vincent and Jessa.

"Have a seat, girl. No reason to just stand there." Tess says.

I sit down on the stump beside her. "Well, I figured if I was standing it would be easier to make a run for it," we laugh at the comment in unison. "Especially with how things have been going lately, it's a pretty good possibility that I might need to."

We both laugh again.

"I think you'll live." she says.

I nod with a smile, glancing over at the guys and Jessa. They're making s'mores.

"So, how are you feeling after the fight with Tori?" Tess asks.

I sigh. I really wish people would stop asking me that. "I'm doing better. Still a little sore in some spots, but better over all."

"Good. That's great Erica." she smiles. "A little birdie told me that you gave as good as you got."

"Yeah, well, I wasn't about to just sit there and take it. And anyways, it still doesn't make any sense to me why she even started with me in the first place."

"Ha! Well, I do. It's because Vincent claimed you. Why else?"

I roll my eyes, but I'm grinning. "Yeah I get that part, but it's not like I had a choice in the matter." And I didn't. Vincent did all that on his own. I'm just an innocent bystander, along for the so far hideous ride.

"Yeah, but that shit doesn't matter in the eyes of his fans. In her mind, she saw you as a threat the moment you walked through the door of the clubhouse. To her, she obviously sees it as this: Vincent belonged to her and you took him. The girl was too fucking dumb to realize that all Vincent ever saw when he looked at her—hell, when he looked at any of the strippers in the bar—as a club whore. She's been following him around like a lost, sick puppy for _years_. Well, ever since..." Tess trails off.

"Ever since what?" I ask.

She makes a face as if considering telling me what she originally planned to say. But she doesn't take long to deliberate. "Since his wife and daughter passed away."

My beer bottle doesn't even make it to my mouth because my blood runs cold with her words.

_Holy hell!_

Vincent was married?

They had a child together?

And they're... _dead?_

I try to picture Vincent with a family. I look over at him, playing and laughing with Jessa and I can actually see him being a family man. The bad thing is with this conversation being brought up, all it did was peek my interest even more in wanting to know what happened to them. The only problem is I'm sure that Vincent is very tight lipped when it comes to talking about them.

"I'm sorry. I had no idea," Maybe I can get more out of Tess... "H-How did they die?"

She risks a glance over towards Vincent before looking back at me, then at her hands which are gripping her beer bottle in her lap. "I think that's something Vincent should tell you whenever he's ready. And with the way he looks at you, I'll bet that that will be very soon."

"Okay, I completely understand." I say, sipping on my beer. When it hits me with what she just said. "Wait... What do you mean, with how he looks at me?"

She shakes her head, laughing. "You honestly have no idea, do you?"

I open my mouth to speak when a group of girls I recognize from the club walk past us and begin a conversation with another girl I recognize as Jenny, one of the part-time waitresses behind us. When they realize I'm staring, they give me the middle finger using their eyes instead of their hands.

"Guess their not my biggest fans, huh?" I say with an eye roll as I turn back around to face the flames.

Tess takes the moment to glance in their direction, with a fake smile and wiggling her fingers in a semi-polite wave at them as she speaks to me. "Their just jealous," she giggles. "You should take pride in that, by the way. Everyone with a vagina in town would be crazy not to be. Well, not including me or his relatives, of course. I'm happy with the man I married."

"Hmm, yeah. I'm so thrilled to have such amazing fans. I'm sure they even have club meetings going over strategies on how to fucking kill me. So far one has tried, and she failed." I say sarcastically with a giggle.

"Oh, I've heard them running their mouths a couple of times in the back of the bar. Let's just say they need to grow the fuck up and find another dick to climb."

"Oh my God, Tess!" I burst out laughing. Hard. And I get a few head turns when I do, including Vincent's. My cheeks heat with embarrassment—even though I'm still smiling—as I lower my voice a notch. "You're horrible, you know that?"

She joins my laughter with her own. "Well, what can I say? The truth hurts."

"You ain't right." I say, shaking my head. "So... what all is being said about me, oh wise one?"

She giggles. "Actually, it's not just talk about you, per se. More like the entire MC—club whores included—are questioning your relationship with Vincent."

My eyes widen as my head drops in shame. Because lets face it, everyone has a right to be suspicious. It is a sham, or fake, or whatever you want to call it. Even if it had a chance to be real—which it doesn't because he's the enemy and I'm a product of the law—Vincent put claim to me within a week of my arrival into town. But still, for appearance's sake, I ask, "And why is that?"

It takes Tess a moment or two to respond. "Well," she drawls. "they're saying that they've never seen y'all being, you know..." she lowers her voice until she's whispering. "intimate with each other."

Oh, for the love of God and everything holy!

My face instantly heats. "Oh, for crying out loud! Seriously?"

The nosy bastards!

Tess nods, glancing around again. "Yeah. But quite frankly, what you two do when you're alone together in the privacy of your home, it's not anyone's business but your own."

I sigh heavily. _Y__eah, if only that were true_.

Woah, woah, woah, guys_..._ The part about it being nobody's business is what I'm talking about, you pervs!

_Je__sus__!_

Anyways, I think I need another beer.

Or twenty.

Maybe a shot or two of something a bit stronger wouldn't hurt.

Because what I'm about to do will require some liquid courage.

* * *

**Vincent's POV**

I can't get over what JT just said to me. How dare he compare my feelings with Alex to how I react around Erica. He has absolutely no damn right. I loved Alex with my entire being. I still do. There is absolutely no way I'm going to start up another relationship, and with Erica of all people.

_Hell no!_

Not that I don't find the tiny woman attractive, because fuck, I really do. And yes, I find myself jacking off in the shower from time to time when my stupid brain conjures up these erotic thoughts of her naked and tied to my bed ever since the whole shower incident a couple weeks ago. But that's all this will ever amount to between us, if anything at all. Sex is the only thing I'm willing to give.

Because my heart is buried with my wife and daughter in Falling Spring Cemetery and I will never, ever get it back.

_You're gonna be mad._

Yeah, well, JT... guess what? You are dead wrong, buddy.

_I'm fucking livid!_

His words had traveled through my body in a fucking boil the moment they slipped out.

Maybe if that's how he sees me around Erica, I need to pull back from her now.

_Better now than later, Vinny._

Yeah, right. I already screwed myself over on that one when I decided to tell God and everybody that she was my old lady. Now I'm fucking stuck with her until we can figure out the true culprits that put two of our club brother's behind bars.

When I look over in the direction of where she was talking to Tess, she's no longer there. Scanning the area, I finally spot her over by the metal tub, opening a beer. I also take notice that some of our guests have either left or pitched a tent, especially the ones with children. She turns around, our eyes meeting instantaneously.

And the look she's giving me?

_Shit!_

Anger turns to lust in a matter of two point five seconds with just that one fucking look. My dick stirs to life and I avert my gaze to try to stop the beast from taking her out in the woods, ripping off her clothes and mounting her like the animal that lives inside of me.

But it's one thing to look away from her.

It's totally different when my senses begin to come alive. I can feel her presence. Hear every erratic beat of her heart. And when I look back up into those gorgeous blue eyes, I instantly smell her arousal.

_God have mercy._

I am both grateful, yet pained to be sitting down right now. Mainly because Erica has now made her way over to where I'm sitting.

"Jessa is adorable." she says, breaking my thoughts as she sits down on the stump beside me.

My boner dies.

_Thank God!_

"Yeah," I smile. "She's something else." I reply.

When I look over at her, I see that she's trembling, realizing that the temperature has dropped a bit since we've been here. So, like the gentleman I am, I take off my jacket and wrap it around her shoulders.

I notice that she keeps glancing in the direction of the tiny hill. She's either paranoid as fuck over something, or she's hoping that someone is watching. Either way, it's hard to tell.

The expression on her face when her gaze comes back to me tells me that she's come to a conclusion to something. But of what, I have no fucking clue.

That is, of course, until she plants her tiny little ass into my lap, straddling me.

My eyes widen in surprise, my half-full beer bottle dropping to the ground with a light thud. My body instantly reacts to her warmth. And with how wide her eyes are now, too, she can _feel_ what type of reaction I'm talking about.

"What the hell are you doing?" I ask. My voice is gravely and low enough to where no one can hear me but us.

She doesn't speak at first, but instead looks around the field again before her gaze comes back to mine. And it's in that moment that I realize she's actually looking around to see if anyone is looking at us.

Well, she sure as hell got what she wanted then, because everyone is taking turns glancing in our direction now.

"Thank you for the jacket, but..." she pauses, her voice shaky. And then sparks fly as she places her palms against my chest, leaning forward, and placing a tentative kiss on my neck before whispering in my ear. "but I can think of another way for you to help keep me warm."

_Oh, f__uck!_ I think I might have actually busted the zipper on my pants.

But I could care fucking less, my body destroying whatever was left of my mental protests. And from the surge that comes over me, the beast seems to be in full agreement with my body.

Her mouth comes back to the pulse point of my neck. And my body trembles with every puff of her breath against my skin.

Every open mouthed kiss she trails over the heated flesh.

Every nibble and every fucking lick.

Then she stops at my ear and I freeze.

Because the next words she whispers into my ear make her intentions clear.

_Loud_ and fucking _clear_.

* * *

**Catherine's POV**

He turns his head to gaze at me, his eyes dancing between mine. I fear that he didn't hear me the first time, so with a small smile, I begin to lean toward his ear when he stops me by cupping my face. That one little touch sends a spark throughout my body.

And within seconds, that tiny little spark ignites a fire within me that will scar me in the most delicious way, when he finally presses his lips to mine.

_Oh, God._

His kiss is warm. Soft. It's as if he's testing the waters a bit before going for the kill. And kill me, he does.

With a growl, he fists my hair with his hand, forcing out a gasp. He takes the opportunity of my gaped lips to plunge his tongue inside my mouth, tasting mine. My eyes close upon the contact and a throb begins between my legs.

_Oh, my God..._ I can't even breathe.

I moan, melting in his arms...

...and in my panties.

_Damn, I've never been so wet before in my life!_

I'm so fucking lost in this kiss as it grows more frantic, more passionate than any kiss I have ever had. He tilts his head to get a better angle, taking my mouth harder with his, sucking the very breath right out of my body. My hands slowly climb up his chest to cup the back of his neck, holding him in place. Without thinking, I roll my hips, grinding against his erection, making us both groan into each others mouths in pleasure.

_Dear, God... please... let me hear him make that sound again._

So I rock my hips against him again.

"Fuck..." he breathes into my mouth before sucking my tongue into his.

What started out being an innocent kiss that meant nothing to me at all, has shifted into a kiss that makes my body crave for more.

_Stop, Catherine! Stop! You're losing yourself in the arms of the enemy!_

But I am too far gone now. Lost in his lips, his teeth and tongue.

He sucks my bottom lip into his mouth, conjuring a whimper out of me. His hands fall to my hips, squeezing them to the point of bruising them. And then suddenly, I'm floating in the air.

My legs instantly wrap around his waist as he lifts me, our mouths still connected. My hands slide upwards into his hair, pulling at the strands with my fingers as he begins walking us to God only knows where.

My back connects with a tree as he thrusts his pelvis against my wet, hot core. But something in me snaps back to reality of how far we've gone with this, the moment his hands slide up my body to cup my breasts. My body stiffens as my eyes burst open, and breathlessly, I pull away from the kiss.

Vincent shoves away from me, breathing out a curse, as if I burned him. His back is now facing me and I have to continue to lean against the tree for support because my legs have turned into jelly. My fingers come up to trace my swollen, bruised lips as my mind goes into a panic.

_What have I done?_

That kiss wasn't supposed to go that far. It was only supposed to be short and sweet and straight to the fucking point so that everyone would believe the lie we continue to tell them.

On the bright side, I'm sure the MC are no longer in need of convincing.

But now, it's me who needs to be convinced that what we've done was wrong.

Because that kiss felt _very_ real to me.

"Vincent?" I say to his back, because he's now refusing to look at me. "Are you alright?"

Silence.

He doesn't say a damn word to me.

Maybe he's feeling the same way I am about the kiss. Maybe he too thinks we went too far. Maybe he regrets kissing me at all.

"Yeah." he says, his voice pained.

_Then why can't you look at me? _I think to myself. A slough of emotions begin to choke me. I can't fucking breathe. Because the thought of this beautiful man regretting anything with me, pains me. Although it shouldn't bother me at all. And in the end, I'm angry because I hate myself for feeling this way about him.

About us.

"Thanks," I say, trying to play it all off as originally planned. I even throw in a forced smile, though he's still not looking at me to see it. "I wasn't sure if you'd go along with it or not when I first whispered it into your ear but... it worked like a gem. I'm sure everyone believes us now."

_It even felt believable, if only for a few minutes._

Vincent turns to face me and my eyes instantly drop down to where his erection—_his very_ big _erection_—is evident through the denim of his jeans. A gasp escapes me, my eyes growing wide as saucers as my jaw drops. And now my thoughts are no longer running rampant through my brain with questions as to why he would regret a damn thing. It's quite obvious that he enjoyed himself as much as I did. And as badly as I want to regret it myself, I don't.

I just can't. Not after this. Not after the way he kissed me with such great intensity.

No man has _ever_ made me feel that way before. No man has _ever_ set my body a blaze with just one _fucking_ kiss. No man will _ever_ compare now.

Vincent Keller has officially ruined me.

And all I can think about in this moment is, _when will he kiss me like that again?_

_Stop it! __Stop thinking about him kissing you! You are supposed to be using him to get justice for Zachary, remember? Keep focused on the mission here, Cat!_

My eyes dart back up to see him smirking at me. _Smirking!_ And I know I've been caught staring at his dick.

"Sorry," he says. But he doesn't sound sorry in the least. "Men can't turn things like this off as easily as women."

And then something inside of me bubbles slowly to the surface. I bring my hand up to cover my mouth in the hopes to try and stop it.

_Oh, dear God, Catherine. Please don't do it!_

Sadly, I'm unable to prevent it.

I laugh. Side-stitching hard.

"Oh my god," I gasp in laughter. "I'm so sorry. I just can't..."

He doesn't say anything. He just smiles really big, bringing out those amazing dimples that I hardly ever get the pleasure to see. It's good to know that the intense moment is now behind us and we can simply just laugh about it now.

As my laughter dies down, he takes my hand into his as if a thought had just struck him and he's desperate to share. When he speaks, his voice is soft, almost a whisper. "Come with me."

I nod and he leads me to a path that leads down to another clearing, similar to the field of party-goers we totally abandoned moments ago.

When we stop, my breath catches in my throat at the scene in front of me.

_Oh, my God_. It's beautiful.

A lonely lake sparkles and ripples in the moonlight. A rotted dock sits in the middle of the sandy beach that leads into the water. It looks magical and peaceful and... and... "Wow." I murmur, taking a few steps forward away from Vincent.

I can't believe I lived in this area for a big portion of my life and never knew this place even existed. It doesn't even compare to the lake Zach always took me to so we could swim most of the summer away.

I pull his jacket around me tighter. It's a little more cooler here with the lake water and all of the trees as well as a slight breeze. Vincent comes to stand next to me, but I don't notice at first because I'm still trying to take every inch of beauty in. I've never seen anything like this.

"Have a seat." his voice interrupts my thoughts. I look over at him and he points at a nearby tree. I'm skeptical at first, unaware of his intentions, but do as he says.

As I sit down on the ground, he walks up behind me and follows suit, sitting down with each of his legs on either side of me. He leans back into the tree behind him, and then pulls the jacket off of my shoulders. His hands softly grip my shoulders, pulling my body back into his and then he throws the jacket over us like a make-shift blanket so that we stay warm in the cold, breezy air.

A silence falls upon us, but only for a moment.

"Tell me about New York." he says. And I shiver at the contact of his breath against my ear. Of course, he thinks it's because I'm cold, so he adjusts the jacket until he's satisfied that I'm okay.

We sit like that for hours, me talking about New York, him telling stories about people in the MC, sharing laughs and just looking out at the lake together. The whole time, a warmth settles in my soul at how easy this feels to just be able to sit and talk, and actually be honest with him for once.

Of course, I don't reveal my true identity, nor do I talk about my family. But the stories I do tell him are very much real.

I'm so absorbed with the beautiful scenery, the easy flow of conversation between us, and his warmth against my body, that I fall asleep.

Just like this.

In his warm, muscular arms.

And with a huge smile on my face.

* * *

I'm awakened by the morning light, my eyes fluttering open. Birds are chirping, welcoming the sun. And my body stiffens when Vincent's morning wood pokes me in the back.

_Oh, shit!_

What am I doing?

I can't be here. I can't be doing romantic things with him like sleeping against a tree together in front of a beautiful lake. And most importantly, I'm not supposed to feel good doing it.

_Shit, shit, shit!_

"Vincent!" I whisper yell over my shoulder. But I freeze when I see the soft expression of his face while he's deep in sleep. I mean, I've already gone too far with him, so why not add admiration to the list of fuck-ups while I'm at it.

_No, dammit! Get the fuck up while you still have some dignity!_

Gently, I begin shaking his shoulder. He groans, swatting my hand away so I pinch his leg. That does the trick. His eyes dart open, meeting mine and a soft grin splits his face. "Hmm, good morning."

"Morning." I say, pinching him again when he starts to drift off again.

"Ow! Stop fucking pinching me!"

I laugh. "Get up, grumpy ass." and he does, stretching his arms above his head which forces his hips to move as well, his erection still hard on my back.

He notices it, too, and then laughs. "I'm beginning to think he likes you."

I stiffen, eyes wide.

"I'm joking." he chuckles. "I just need to piss."

"Obviously."

His cheeks turn red.

We both dust ourselves off once standing, neither of us saying another word. But we do share a shy smile. Holding the jacket open for me, he prompts me to put it back on. I refuse. And this time, I don't back down. He keeps it hung over his arm instead of putting it on himself.

"Do you know what time it is?" I ask as we begin to trek up the pathway leading back towards the field where we're parked.

Vincent looks at his watch. "Almost fifteen 'til eleven. Why?"

I stop walking and Vincent continues to move forward.

Dammit... we slept in. I'm gonna be late to my meeting with Knox.

"Shit!" I hiss, pinching the bridge of my nose.

_Way to go, Catherine... You idiot!_

"What is it?" Vincent asks. He apparently stopped and turned around to see what happened to me.

I want to say nothing at all. But I'm running out of time to get where I need to be. I guess a shower is also out of the question at this point. "Is there any way you can drive me back to the house?" I try to ask nonchalantly, but now he seems suspicious. Which is not how I wanted this to go.

Nothing, actually, that has happened lately around him has went in my favor at all. I've never felt so out of control in my life.

"Why?" his brows furrow, curiously. "You got somewhere important to be?"

_Shit!_

He can't keep doing this to me. He can't keep questioning my every move. My throat closes up as panic sets in. But yet again, a second time in less than twenty-four hours, and I'm about to blow my cover.

_Use your fucking head, Catherine! Think!_

"No, it's just that I needed to go to the store to grab some things." I remember the mental note to pick up some beer for the house yesterday. So it's not a _complete_ lie. "Actually, it was supposed to be a surprise, but I wanted to make you a nice dinner for everything you've done for me. Guess the new surprise will be what's on the menu."

I stare into his eyes, hoping that mine don't falter to give away the lie. But Vincent buys my story. "Just don't burn down the house, woman." And with that, he smiles, turning on his heels and walking away. I sigh in relief, thinking that I've wiggled my way out of another close call.

When I finally realize what he said.

"Hey! I am very capable of cooking a good meal." I say not only trying to convince him, but myself too. "I cooked myself breakfast yesterday morning, and the house is still standing, thank you very much."

He laughs, but doesn't say anything else on the matter.

As we begin to walk through the clearing where the all-nighters in the MC are scattered around the now dead fire pit, he reaches his hand out and takes mine into his.

And I let him.

* * *

**Vincent's POV**

Flashes of last nights events pour into my brain as we walk towards the fields...

Erica's fuck me eyes. The way she straddled me. Her soft lips against the pulse point of my neck. Her whispered words. The way she tastes. The tug of her fingers in my hair. Her soft sighs into my mouth. Those little whimpers of desperation. The little rolls of her hips. The soft sweeps of her hands crawling up my chest. Her tongue clashing hard with mine. How fucking perfect she felt in my arms.

_Jesus!_

I'm hard again just thinking about it.

I swear, I don't know how much more of this pushing and pulling crap between us that I can take.

It's driving me fucking_ insane_.

But in the end, I lost control of myself. Of my thoughts. And worst of all...

….my humanity.

The moment I shoved her up against that tree, my lips consuming hers—a_s if I'd been traveling __the Sahara Desert__ for days and __her mouth was a __cold__ pale of water_—he had won.

The beast inside of me, for the second time in his entire existence, had me down on the ground, bloody and beaten. Defeated. If she hadn't pulled away when she did, I... _God_, I don't even want to think of what he might do to her.

I can't fucking believe I let him that close to her. But with time and a few deep breaths, I finally tamed him back into the cage where he belongs.

_Rem__ember to t__ake your __anti-beast pills__ when you get home_, I scold myself, even though the medicine is basically helpless.

As we walk through the field where empty SOLO cups, beer bottles and people are littered as well as a few tents, I see JT and Tess coming out of there own. "Hey, man." I said. "We're gonna head back to the house. Erica has a few errands in town."

JT glances down to our linked hands before giving me a knowing look that says,_ what did I tell you? _"Okay, buddy. I'll handle clean-up duty here. Guess I'll see y'all later then."

"Bye." Erica says softly with a smile and I nod at him.

* * *

The drive back to the house seems to go fairly quickly. But the thoughts that consume my mind make the traveling that much quicker. I can't seem to shake off this feeling that she's not telling me the whole truth about going to the store. But that's okay. I'll let her think that I believe her story.

For now.

When we pull up to the house, I help Erica off the bike and she bolts straight inside to grab her purse and truck keys, and I haven't even dropped the kick stand yet on the motorcycle.

Something's up.

And I have half a mind to figure out what the hell has gotten into her lately.

"Hey!" I call out to her before she can leave. She looks up, gnawing at her plump bottom lip nervously—_the same __damn __lip I bit and sucked into my mouth just last night __while I pinned her luscious body__ up against a tree. _"I just remembered that I've got some things to do also. What time do I need to be back for dinner?"

She hums as she ponders my question for a moment before responding. "Around seven."

Damn, she's nervous as hell about something. She can't even resist twisting her fingers with the key-ring.

I nod, my eyes staying on hers. "Okay, sounds good."

"I'll be back soon." she says as she hops up into the cab of the truck and takes off like a bat out of hell.

"Later." I say to the dirty smoke trail she leaves behind in her haste to leave. I don't even think about it. Kicking up the kick stand, my motorcycle roars to life and I take off just as quickly as she on the dirt road leading to the main highway.

My destination?

Well, I think it's time that I check off grocery shopping on my to-do list.

* * *

Carl's Grocery is a family owned store full of organic foods, fresh picked produce, and some of the best brand cold cuts in town. Of course, I've never been one who really cared for the grocery stores much. Alex made it a weekly ritual to do it herself, so, I never even worried about it.

So far, Erica's a no-show, which is completely baffling to me because she sped out of the driveway _way_ before I did.

I decide to pull into the parking lot of mother's tattoo parlor. Thankfully, business hours are currently closed. So I won't have to deal with her questioning why I'm here, stalking Carl's directly across the street. I make a mental note to visit her and the old man soon since I haven't done much of that lately.

I step off my bike, kick down the stand, and wait.

And I wait.

And wait.

_God, my freaking leg is starting to cramp!_

And... more fucking waiting.

_Maybe I missed her already. Maybe she went to another store._

Or maybe she fucking lied to me about coming here in the first place and she was never here at all.

But I'm not giving up just yet, may my leg cramps be damned. I just can't seem to shake this feeling that Erica's hiding something from me—a seed of suspicion planted inside of me the moment I saw her at the cemetery.

And one way or another, I'm gonna find out what it is that she's hiding. Even if I have to wait all night long or tear down every building in this god forsaken town.

* * *

**Catherine's POV**

What the ever loving fuck am I thinking?

_Really, Catherine? That was your big plan? You're gonna cook dinner for him, now?_

Now my biggest problem is backing up the partial-semi-lie of me cooking dinner tonight because my cooking skills are just….

Well... let's just say, they're not very good. At least, if it's anything besides a microwave dinner or roman noodles. And I guess you could say that Zach taught me well at making eggs and toast and the occasional non-burnt pancakes.

_But a dinner?_

The thought brings me back in time to a memory where I attempted to make Jonas' favorite food—_baked salmon __with __steamed __veggies__, to be exact_—for his birthday last year. Key word here is _attempted_. It was supposed to be a surprise for him—okay, it was more like calling a truce with him after having a fallen out the night before. And yes, it just so happened to be his birthday, too. So an added bonus.

Needless to say, he sure was surprised when he got home after suffering a long day at the precinct. Because as soon as he pulled up, he was met with a road full of firetrucks, police cruisers, and even an ambulance. And, of course, there I was sitting on the back of said ambulance with a blanket wrapped around me, waiting for him to come home.

That poor salmon didn't even stand a chance.

But on the bright side, his home was still standing.

As I start speeding down the road to make sure I make it to the store in enough time, I rack my brain of what would be ideally for dinner that I won't screw up.

Baked salmon is definitely a no-go.

_Obviously._

But because of my big mouth, I have to fix _something_.

Pulling into the parking lot of the grocery store, I scan the area—both, to make sure that I'm not followed, and to see if Knox is already here. I glance down at the dash clock.

_Eleven-thirty._ Good timing, things considered. That gives me enough time to snatch up a few items before Knox shows up.

Since I didn't have time for a shower, I pull out a hair tie from the center console and tie my hair into a ponytail. I run inside, grab a buggy and basically reenact a scene from the game show, _Supermarket __Sw__eep_.

I rush around the store, picking up things along the way that I think are pretty easy to cook and toss them into my cart. When I make it to the box dinner section, a tiny old lady that looks to be in her seventies stops what she's looking at and stares at me with both fear and concern.

Perhaps she thinks I'm a crazy person in need of some serious help.

Oh, well. If she didn't know how to cook and had to make a big dinner for a man she's been lying to, she'd run around this place like a chicken with their head cut off, too.

I round a corner and my buggy suddenly stops, pushing back into my gut with a _whoosh_. Agent Knox looks down at me, his expression showing signs that he's just as concerned for me as the little granny I passed moments ago.

"What the hell are you doing running around here like a crazy person?" he asks. He's looking at me like I've grown another head.

I narrow my eyes, ignoring his question. Glancing around the store, I make sure no one is watching. Specifically the elder from earlier. I mean, this is a small town and people do tend to talk. I say, "You're early."

"I know," he says, pulling more near the back of the store before looking over my shoulder, then returning his gaze back on me. His voice is low when he continues. "But I thought I'd show up a little early to see if you, uh... heard anything _important_ being discussed at the bonfire last night."

"Did you bring the info on my brother?" I hope he knows that I wasn't messing around yesterday at the convenience store when I said I was done with this bullshit.

Pulling out a manilla folder from the inside pocket of his suit coat, he says, "It's right here."

I reach out my hand for the folder without saying a word. He hesitates giving it to me at first, but sighs with an eye roll as he hands it to me. "Well?..."

"Well what?"

"Did you get me any info at the bonfire last night, or not?" he snips.

"Yes, actually I did." I pause for a second or two, as granny walks past us with her eyes narrowed in my direction. I wait for her to get out of hearing distance. "I found out that pretty much every girl in the MC fucking _hates_ me. Possibly even want me dead. And it doesn't help that every member of the club finds my presence suspicious. Vincent now included. Does that help you any?"

_I also __found out that Vincent Keller is an amazing kisser._

_And __Lord, is he packing__._

But I doubt Vincent's kissing skills or cup size have anything to do with what Knox is truly needing on the MC.

"Just call me when you get something relevant to my case." he huffs, stomping away until he's no longer in view.

_Well, that went well_, I think to myself.

* * *

As I'm loading the bags of groceries into the bed of the truck, I realize that I'll have to make a quick stop by the homestead because I just can't take the file Knox gave me back to Vincent's place.

When I finally pull up to the cabin, I notice Vincent's bike isn't in the driveway.

_So much for getting help in with the groceries. _

Carrying everything inside the house, I send up a little prayer that I keep my word to him, and not burn Vincent's place down to the ground.

* * *

**Vincent's POV**

I have smoked nearly a whole pack of cigarettes waiting on Erica to arrive.

But of course, she was a no-show.

Just as I'm about to give up and leave, I see her truck come zooming past me. Tossing down my half-smoked cigarette, I jump onto the Harley, firing up the engine, and take off to catch up to her. I make sure I'm at least three cars behind her so she doesn't see me following.

A few moments later, I bring my bike to a stop, but still within viewing distance from the house that Erica bought when she first came into town. I watch as she exits the vehicle, carrying a pretty thick manilla folder as she walks up the steps of the porch to the house. It takes her several minutes to return to her truck, but now I'm puzzled to see her empty handed.

What the fuck was in that folder? And why in the hell does she have it?

_What are you hiding, Erica Barker?_

I decide I'll wait until she leaves before I take action.

Once she's out of site, I hop off my bike, kicking down the stand and sprint over to the house. I reach for the doorknob, but it fails to turn.

_Fuck, it's locked!_

I make my way over to the window to take a look inside. But I can't see much through the heavy curtain hanging up. From what I can see, though, is that the house is completely empty other than a couple of boxes, paint cans, and tools sitting in the floor. There's writing on the boxes, but they're too far away for me to make out what they say.

_Dammit!_

Realizing that I'm not going to be able to find anything out, I decide to just head back to the cabin. The whole drive home, I keep trying to figure out what secrets Erica keeps hidden from the world.

_I absolutely hate secrets!_

Now I know what your thinking. Your sitting there, reading this story and probably wondering why I am being such a fucking hypocrite right now. How that sounds real funny coming from someone like me, when I carry around one of the biggest secrets of them all.

It's just… I've had to learn the hard way that keeping secrets like mine can get people hurt or worse… killed. Nobody should have to burden my sins anyways. I wouldn't want anyone to.

Erica's vehicle is in the driveway when I arrive home. I park my bike beside her truck and then hesitantly head inside. I exhale heavily, as if to try to release the tension of my findings today on her. I have to try to at least keep myself in line so she doesn't suspect I know anything. Or so we don't have a repeat of the evening before we left for the bonfire last night.

The aroma of food hits me when I open the door to enter. Damn, it actually smells fucking good in here. I close the door behind me, but a little harder than I planned to because Erica instantly calls from the kitchen.

"Vincent? Is that you?"

"Yeah! Sorry I'm a little late." I say, hanging up my keys and taking off my jacket. I make my way into the kitchen where a stressed looking Erica stands with her hands on her hips, glaring at the stove. She also looks recently showered and has changed into a pair of black yoga pants and a royal blue cami, her angel wings tattoo peeking out at the top. Her hair is pinned up into a messy heap on top of her head with a few tendrils falling down into her face and her feet are bare, toes painted the same color blue as her shirt. "I got held up in town."

She blows the hair out of her face, tilting her head back to look at the ceiling. "It's okay. Dinner should be ready in a little while. If you want, you can run and take a shower. I should have everything done by then."

And that will give me enough time to think more about how to handle Erica.

"Okay, sounds good." I say and I head up the stairs.

Grabbing a pair of baggy, gray sweat pants, a black tank and a pair of boxer briefs from my dresser, I enter the bathroom. I press the digital screen to turn on the shower and lean against the sink, staring at my reflection in the mirror while I wait for the water to warm up. It doesn't take long before the room becomes foggy with steam. So I undress and enter the shower.

With the water flowing down over my head, I lift my arms and run my fingers through my hair, as my mind drifts off to seeing Erica entering the house with the folder.

_I should __ha__ve__confronted her __right on the spot_, I think to myself. _If __I had,__ I wouldn't be standing here, racking my brain trying to figure out what she's keeping from me_.

Is she a snitch for a rival MC? An informant for the police? Is she the fucking police? FBI?

Who the fuck is Erica Barker?!

And what the hell does she want with _me_?

But then I realize that there's no way she's a snitch, an informant, the police or a damned FBI agent. There is just no way that any of those titles suit her. She has yet to interrogate me or any of the other members of the MC... well, all except for Tess and JT on occasion. But that was innocent conversation between friendly colleagues.

_Right?_

Shit...

I don't know what to think anymore.

Perhaps I'm just being paranoid.

Or maybe I'm not.

_Fuck, this isn't helping!_

I'm right back to square one.

Shutting off the shower, I dry myself off with a thick, plush towel before dressing and heading downstairs. I take a deep breath, exhaling slowly as I finally come to a conclusion.

It's time Erica comes clean with me.

And tonight _will_ be the night to do it.

* * *

**Catherine's POV**

I did it.

I cooked dinner all by my little ole' self and the house is still standing.

Though, I did make simple things like small pre-made hamburger patties. Fried potatoes. Mustard greens. Macaroni 'n cheese and cornbread.

Mmm... good southern cooking.

So, I didn't actually make the cornbread myself, I bought it pre-baked to where all I had to do was heat and serve it. Okay, so I cheated... sue me. I figured if I burnt the hamburgers or potatoes, I should still be good because, hey, most people like it that way.

_Right? _

I know my daddy sure as hell did.

I heard Vincent before I'd seen him, slamming the front door. And it's then that I know he's no longer in his good mood from this morning.

Maybe he had a bad day after we left the fields.

Maybe he's ready to finish out our fight from yesterday.

Who knows. Especially since he's been pretty moody lately anyways. Either way, I'll have to prepare myself for another argument with him. I can just feel it coming.

_Maybe I'm wrong..._

But I'm not ready to fight just yet.

So I send him up to shower while I finish up the food, and to give me an extra few minutes of peace. Reaching up into the cabinet with the plates, I grab two of them, sitting them down on the counter and proceed to gather the eating utensils we will need. And, of course, napkins.

It isn't until I'm setting up the table when I spot Vincent leaning up against the door frame, his arms crossed and he's watching me—_studying me_—while I do so.

I straighten to a full stand.

He pushes himself off the door frame, stalking towards the table. "Need any help?"

"Nope. I think I've got it." I force a smile. "Just have a seat at the table and I'll bring everything over in a second."

"Everything _does_ smell good." he says. "Reminds me of Ale—uh, my Mama's cooking when I was growing up."

_I just hope everything tastes as good as it smells_, I think to myself while saying, "Thank you."

He takes another whiff of the air, and I smile at the ridiculousness of his actions. "Fuck, yeah. I do love me some southern cooking." he says with a smile on his face. But when he sees me staring at him, his grin disappears. He clears his throat, taking a seat.

"Now," I say as I grab his plate first to begin serving the food. I truly hope that I didn't fuck this up. "I know it's not anything spectacular or anything—"

"No, no." he assures. "Really. I don't need a fancy meal to be impressed. This is perfect."

I smile and hand him his plate, now full of food. Then I grab my own and start piling it up before taking a seat at the table with him.

An uncomfortable silence plagues us while we eat. The only sound is of our forks occasionally tapping our plates. And no, there isn't any foodgasm's this time.

Just silence.

And it's driving me crazy.

"Foods good. You did good." he murmurs, taking his last bite.

I nod my thanks with a quick smile before taking another bite. But the tension in the air is not unnoticeable. It's so thick, you could take a knife and slice through it with a butter knife. So I try for some small talk and ask him about the lake he took me to last night.

"Well," he sits back in his chair, pushing out an exhale. "My family has been going there ever since I discovered the place as a kid. Used to have a habit of going off exploring by myself. I came across that section of the forest when I was ten, and I guess you could say that it's kinda like my own personal little sanctuary. I go there when I have a lot on my mind."

"I can see why. It's a very peaceful place. Beautiful, too."

He huffs.

Oh, yeah. He's definitely upset about something. He's doing that huffing bullshit again. And now, I'm no longer hungry. I sit my fork down onto my plate and lean back. Our eyes meet from across the table.

"So," I say. "were you able to get everything done that you needed to do earlier?"

He continues staring at me, as if lost in thought. It's almost as if he's debating on what to say. _Come on, Vincent. Just rip off the band-aid and let me have it._ And he doesn't disappoint. "Where did you go today?"

"I told you, I had to go to the store."

His blinks. "Which store?"

_Seriously? _What the hell does that have anything to do with his pissy mood? Does he like a certain store brand better than the other?

"Ingles. Why?"

"So let me get this straight," he sits up in his seat, laying his hands flat onto the table on each side of his empty plate. "You went plum across town, to Ingle's, when Carl's Grocery is right down the road from here?"

_Oh, my God. Here we go again..._

I'm beginning to regret picking him up some _Midol_ while shopping for everything else today.

My eyes narrow as anger seeps through my veins. "What does it matter which store I go to?"

He completely ignores my question, just like our last fight—_which pisses me off even more_—and adds, "I also saw you go to your house. You had a folder in your hands when you went inside, but when you came back out, you didn't have shit with you."

_Oh, shit._ I'm screwed. I'm royally screwed. He knows. _He fucking knows!_ And now I have no clue how to even get out of this mess.

"Were you following me again?" I raise my voice, because I'm truly getting sick of this shit.

"And if I was?"

"I would start by telling you that you need help for your stalking tendencies. Then I'd tell you that what I do outside of your house is none of your goddamn business!"

He makes a fist, slamming it down onto the table, making the dishes clatter. I flinch, my eyes wide and still on him. But I won't back down, if that's what he's trying to accomplish here. "It is my fucking business when your living in _my_ house, because they," he points a finger towards the front door. "are suspicious of you being in town."

"Fuck, you, Vincent! I didn't ask for this shit!" I scream at him, darting out of my chair so fast that my chair topples backwards. "This whole _old lady_ charade between us is all because of _you_!"

"Because you needed my protection from them!" he hisses, getting up out of his chair as well.

"Don't flatter yourself." I laugh, menacingly as my arms come around my torso defensively. "I don't need you. I don't even know why I agreed to your stupid plan in the first place. I didn't want to even come here and live with you!"

"And you think I fucking want you here? In _my_ living space, invading _my_ privacy?!" He pauses, huffing his usual huff. "Look, lady, I can't protect you when you're keeping secrets from me!"

"Secrets! You wanna talk about keeping secrets? _Huh_?!" I stomp towards the stairs, Vincent hot on my heels. "Then why didn't you tell me you were married? Why didn't you tell me you had a kid?"

"That's none of your business!"

I'm at my boiling point now and I don't care if it hurts him. "Why didn't you tell me they died?"

"Erica... Stop it!"

"Maybe you can tell me _how_ your family died—"

"_Fuck... You_!"

"—Or better yet..." I trail off, making my way to the door of the _Forbidden Room_. "How about you _tell me_ what the hell is behind _this_ door!" I grab the handle to turn it when a loud roar shakes the entire house.

"_NO_!"

I turn to face him, and I gasp. My eyes go wide in fear. I have never, in my entire life, seen anything like this before. My knees buckle and I fall into the floor, trying frantically to crawl away from Vincent.

And it's in this moment that I know I'm going to die.

Right here, in the hallway of Vincent's house.

By the hand of the man standing before me.

Only, this isn't a man anymore. Vincent Keller is no longer here with me. No... This is a monster with a distorted face, fangs, bulging veins, long, sharp claws and two glowing amber eyes that remind me of eyes that belong to feral animal.

And boy, does he look angry.

So, I do the only thing I can think of and scream.

* * *

****Soooo... how is everyone? Huge cliffy there lol. Vincent is now exposed and Catherine may well be on her way in the same direction. So what do y'all think will happen next? Will Catherine run for the hills? Or will she stay? Will Vincent keep her? Or make her leave? What does this mean for VinCat? Stayed tuned for another chapter, which should be out within a week, maybe a little more. Thank you all for reading! Reviews are always welcome! XOXO!****


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